Social Security Disability Benefits
for Cancer
in Louisiana

Qualifications for Disability Benefits with Cancer in New Orleans, Metairie and Beyond

To confirm that your case of cancer stops you from working, Social Security will look at medical evidence, which comes in the form of reports, test results, medical imaging and more.

These are some of the kinds of documents you’ll need to provide with your application:

• Reports from surgical findings, such as biopsies
• Pathology reports
• Descriptions of your symptoms
• Medications you receive for cancer (such as chemotherapy)
• Your schedule of radiation therapy
• Documentation of surgeries to treat the cancer
• Description of complications from treatment
• Details of your response to therapy
• Information about recurrence of the disease after treatment
• Evidence of progression of the cancer

Any kind of cancer can qualify for disability benefits. In its official listing of impairments for determining disability benefits, Social Security names several cancers, including bone cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, central nervous system cancers, melanoma, intestinal, pancreatic, prostate and thyroid cancers.

But even if your form of cancer isn’t specifically mentioned there, you still could be eligible for benefits based on how your medical condition interferes with your daily life and ability to work.
You’ll need to describe for Social Security the duties and demands of your job and how your cancer symptoms do not allow you to go to work.

A Social Security Disability lawyer can spare you the work of organizing all of this information.

If you’d like to know more about what to expect from a disability claim, you can call us at Empower Disability and have an initial conversation about it. That’s a free consultation, no fee.

How to Speed up Your Disability Claim for Cancer

Even if you think you may be back at work within a year, it can be a good idea to apply for disability benefits anyway, because it can take months, and sometimes longer, to be approved.

It’s best to get the process started as soon as possible.

And if you’re facing a life-threatening form of cancer, you may be able to speed up your claim and start receiving benefits sooner.

Severe cancers can qualify for what Social Security calls a “Compassionate Allowance.” In that case, they will put you through for faster approval.

These are the requirements for a Compassionate Allowance with cancer:

• Cancer has spread to different parts of your body
• Your case is inoperable
• Despite treatment, the cancer has returned

A disability lawyer can make sure that your case is properly flagged for a Compassionate Allowance if appropriate, so you can get help paying for daily expenses as soon as possible.

When you’re facing cancer, you’ll have a medical team, maybe also a team of family members and friends for support.

Empower Disability can add even more strength to your team—helping you get economic aid so can concentrate on your own life and well-being.