Facing a serious disease such as cancer can make you have to reassess your entire life, especially your finances. Having cancer is not cheap. Beyond the medical costs, you also have to account for the times when you cannot work due to medical appointments or not feeling well enough. If you fear that you cannot make ends meet financially, you may be able to get some help through Social Security.
According to the American Cancer Society, Social Security Disability benefits have strict standards to qualify, but if you have cancer, you may be eligible for faster application processing. To get benefits, you need to make sure that you meet the basic requirements first.
Basic requirements
To get SSD, you need to have a long-term medical condition, meaning that it will last at least one year or will cause your death. Cancer typically will meet this requirement, because removing all the cancer often takes more than a year.
The next requirement is that you have worked enough to qualify. The work credits required vary from person to person, so you should check the Social Security Administration’s website for the number you need to see if you meet this requirement.
Compassionate allowance
Some types of cancer qualify for quick processing of your SSD application. You can check with the SSA’s compassionate allowances list. Do keep in mind that regardless, you should file as soon as possible because your benefits, when the SSA approves them, will start on the date you apply.
Benefit amount
The amount of SSD you get depends on your work history and payments into Social Security. Do keep in mind that with SSD, you need to have enough work history and make enough money. This is not a low-income benefit. On the contrary, making more money in the recent past can help you to qualify for more benefits and ensure that you meet the work requirements.
