2021
When people hear the
dreaded words, “You have cancer,” many thoughts often overwhelm them. They
think about their health, family, and mortality. They think about treatment
options, oncologists, and cancer centers. What they typically don’t think about
are the legal issues resulting from their diagnosis. However, questions around
understanding their health insurance options, employment rights, and taking
time off from work often come up.
The good news is that
there are organizations and programs that can help. If you can’t work due to a
cancer diagnosis, you may be eligible for financial support from two Social
Security programs. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) provide financial support to people with disabilities
unable to work. These benefits can help you focus your time and energy on
what’s important to you.
These disabilities
include certain types of cancer. Some cancers qualify for expedited processing
by Social Security under its Compassionate
Allowances program. These are cases where individuals have medical
conditions so severe that they obviously meet Social Security’s disability
standards. This allows Social Security to process the cases quickly with
minimal medical information.
Not sure if you qualify?
The first step is to
apply for SSDI or SSI benefits. Then, you can check your application status
with a personal my Social Security account.
You can create
your own personal my Social
Security account today.
Still have questions?
Triage Cancer provides
straightforward and accurate information, including resources to help you
understand health and disability insurance options, Medicaid and Medicare,
manage your finances, estate planning, and more. Though we tailor our materials
to people diagnosed with cancer, our free resources are available to everyone.
We encourage you to sign
up today for our free events that provide key information
to help you address practical issues and minimize the financial burden of
cancer. You can also check out our Educational Guides and Resources page –
along with CancerFinances.org –
for more information about your personal situation.
For more information or
to register for any of our free events, visit TriageCancer.org. Please share this
information with your friends and family – and post it on social media.
Social Security’s posting
of this blog does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any
non-Social Security organization, author, or webpages.
https://blog.ssa.gov/diagnosed-with-cancer-social-security-and-triage-cancer-can-help/
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