When a worker is stricken with cancer, his bills don’t stop just because he can no longer work. Depending on the type of cancer, the person may undergo chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which has unpleasant side effects. Under these circumstances, it comes as a great shock to the person to get a letter from the Social Security Administration stating that he or she does not qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

Disability insurance replaces lost income when you are unable to work due to a disabling condition. Cancer patients can receive a monthly income from the Social Security Administration if they meet the disability standards. Many cancers respond to treatment and the patient is able to return to work in less than twelve months. For most types of cancer, if the person’s cancer has been removed by surgery and has not come back or spread to other parts of his or her body then the person will not qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

In addition, after the patient has been determined to have meet the Social Security Administration disability standards for two years he will receive Medicare Part A Hospital insurance Benefits which helps cover in patient hospital costs. To qualify for disability benefits, the patient must prove that he has a condition which can be expected to last at least twelve months and that he does not have the ability to perform full time work in any job.

Social Security Disability Insurance is available to those who have worked and paid social security taxes. Social Security pays only for total disability. The SSA in evaluating disability claims based on cancer requires documentation based upon the medical records of the patient. In general a patient meets the SSA standards for a disability claim based upon cancer when it is determined that the malignancy is inoperable or beyond control of any other forms of therapy. It is possible for disability benefits to be granted for a period prior to the determination that the cancer is inoperable if the patient’s physician bases his opinion on the patient’s medically reported symptoms, the type of specific malignancy, its location and the extent of the involvement of the tumor when it is first diagnosed.

Cancer maybe a common fact of life but it is also difficult enough for a family to face. The financial burdens can be eased to some extent by the succesful pursuit of a Social Security disability claim.