Financial challenges may complicate an already difficult situation when an individual receives a cancer diagnosis. An inability to return to work may be one of the consequences of cancer or the treatments for it.
Social Security cancer disability benefits may be available, with monthly payments to replace at least part of the income lost due to being unable to work. The application process and meeting the requirements for approval of a claim can be complicated and overwhelming.
Instead of trying to take on the Social Security cancer disability application process on your own, let an experienced disability attorney at The Clauson Law Firm represent you. Let the dedicated team of disability professionals at Clauson Law get you the disability benefits you need and deserve.
People may react differently to the symptoms and side effects of the treatments for cancer, so claims for SSD for cancer patients must be supported by medical records and other evidence. The evidence must prove that the person is unable to work because of the disease, treatments, or other reason related to the cancer diagnosis.
Medical records should clearly present a diagnosis and the treatment plan prescribed by the person’s healthcare professionals. Records should include the following:
· Notes and findings of physicians, including specialists.
· Physical examinations.
· Diagnostic imaging reports.
· Reports of blood tests and other laboratory testing.
· Treatment summaries.
· Pathology reports.
· Results of specialized diagnostic testing.
The records should include notes about patient symptoms observed or reported to healthcare providers. Symptoms may include nausea, fatigue, cognitive changes, pain, and other conditions that could impair the individual’s ability to perform work-related activities.
Following the advice of your doctors, keeping appointments, taking prescribed medications, and skipping treatment should be documented by health professionals in the medical records. A cancer disability application may be denied benefits based on the failure of an applicant to follow medical advice regarding their treatment or prescription medications.
The Social Security Administration does not pay benefits for short-term or partial disability. The reason for that is simple: The federal definition of “disability” that Social Security uses does not allow it.
A disability, according to federal regulations, is an inability to do any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment, or a combination of impairments, that can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months.
The reference to substantial gainful activity means activity requiring significant physical or mental effort that a person performs for pay or profit. Social Security uses monthly earnings as a threshold for whether a person is engaged in substantial and gainful work activity.
The current monthly threshold is $1,690 for claims based on a physical or mental disability and $2,830 for individuals with SSD claims based on being blind. The threshold changes each year.
“Medically determinable” in the disability definition highlights the importance of medical evidence to proving cancer SSD claims. The medical evidence should be detailed and supported by medically accepted techniques. A diagnosis with a statement of a person’s symptoms will not be enough to prove that a person has a disability satisfying the federal definition.
The cancer disability review process seeks to determine if an applicant meets the approval criteria, including:
· Non-medical requirements: SSDI requires a work history of long enough duration with Social Security payroll taxes paid on the earnings. Individuals without a work history may apply to the Supplemental Security Income program. SSI is a means-based program, so it has strict income and resource limitations.
· Medical requirements: The federal definition of disability applies to applicants for SSDI and adults applying for SSI.
An integral step in the cancer disability application process relies on the use of the SSA’s listing of impairments, or, as it is commonly called, the “Blue Book.” The Blue Book includes physical
and mental impairments found to be severe enough to match the standards of the federal definition of a disability. Included with each listed impairment are the medical criteria required to establish that an applicant’s condition meets or equals the listed impairment.
Section 13.00 of the listings of impairments includes several types of cancer and the criteria for meeting or equalling the listing for each of them. The cancers contained in Section 13.00 include:
· Pancreatic cancer
· Lymphoma
· Multiple myeloma
· Thyroid cancer
· Leukemia
· Prostate cancer
· Colon cancer
· Liver cancer
· Lung cancer
· Esophageal cancer
· Breast cancer
· Uterine cancer
· Sarcoma
· Melanoma
· Salivary glands
· Bladder cancer
The listings for each cancer type include the medical evidence required to meet or equal the listing. For example, section 13.22, urinary bladder carcinoma, requires evidence of one of the following:
· Infiltration beyond the wall of the bladder.
· Recurrent after total cystectomy.
· Inoperable or unresectable.
· Metastasized to or beyond regional lymph nodes.
· Small-cell carcinoma.
Responsibility falls on the claimant to provide the medical evidence required to prove a claim for cancer disability benefits. The disability team at Clauson Law knows and understands what it takes to prove a claim for SSDI or SSI benefits. Working with them relieves you of a tremendous burden and gives you the time to focus on your medical care.
An alternative to a listed impairment for approval of cancer SSD claims
It’s not uncommon to not meet or equal a listed condition, but that does not mean denial of your claim for cancer disability benefits. The evaluation process also includes consideration of your ability to do work you did in the past or adjust to do other types of work.
The final two steps of the disability evaluation process assess your residual functional capacity. RFC an assessment of the activities you can do despite the limitations of your medical condition. If you can do past relevant work, you are not disabled.
If you cannot do past work, the evaluation process looks at your RFC, age, education, and work experience to determine whether you can adjust to do other types of jobs available in the national economy. An inability to adapt to doing different types of work means you are disabled.
What you could receive in SSDI benefits with a Social Security cancer approval depends on your earnings record. The average monthly SSDI benefit for 2026 is $1,630, but an annual cost-of-living adjustment may change it next year.
Benefits through SSI are established by the federal government. The maximum federal monthly SSI benefit in 2026 is $994 for individuals and $1,491 for couples.
SSDI and SSI claim approvals include coverage through Medicare or Medicaid. Applicants approved for SSDI must wait 24 months from the start of monthly benefits to enroll in Medicare.
Depending on the state where you reside, SSI claim approval automatically includes coverage through the Medicaid program. Check with the disability team at Clauson Law, and they can assist you if your state requires a separate Medicaid application.
The disability benefits professionals at Clauson Law have years of experience helping people with disabilities navigate the Social Security disability system. From the initial application through the appeals process, a Clauson disability attorney provides superior representation and guidance. When cancer prevents you from working, reach out to Clauson Law for help. Contact us today for a free consultation and claim evaluation.
