Getting Disability Benefits for Blood and Lymphatic Diseases

Blood and lymphatic diseases can make it very uncomfortable, if not impossible, for those battling them to function normally in their lives. Holding down a job can be very difficult when you’re suffering from an ailment like leukemia or cancer. Your treatments can be so debilitating that you may not only be unable to hold down food, you may often feel so weary that you need to sleep a lot more.

Fortunately, the Social Security Administration has two programs that may benefit those suffering from these ailments. One provides Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) while the other offers Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The SSDI program provides benefits for those who have paid Social Security taxes and worked long enough to be considered “insured” under it. In contrast, the SSI program is based solely on financial need and is available to everyone else who has a qualifying disability.

Filing a Disability Claim

Individuals filing for SSDI benefits may do so over the phone, at a Social Security office or online. However, those filing under the SSI program must deal directly with SSA employees when filing their applications.

All who file for either SSI or SSDI need to obtain copies of their most recent medical and employment records, along with any pertinent worker’s compensation or military records. Disabled applicants seeking SSI benefits must also provide comprehensive information about their financial resources.

Although some applicants have their claims granted within a period of months, most people have to wait up to two years to receive their SSI or SSDI benefits.

Getting Benefits for Blood and Lymphatic Diseases

Blood and lymphatic diseases, such as advanced stages of leukemia and lymphedema, can make it very difficult for people to hold down jobs. Various medications and treatments for leukemia may be beneficial yet render the patient too nauseated or dizzy to keep working. Lymphedema patients must often try and work around such swollen limbs that it becomes almost impossible to handle the clerical tasks or other duties that are required by their recent work activities.

Many of those suffering from these disabilities need the critical income that is available through either the SSI or SSDI programs.

Disability Determination

The Social Security Administration (SSA) will take a close look at the severity of your condition, how long you’ve suffered from it and whether or not you’ll probably have to battle it for the rest of your life. Other factors will include whether or not you might be able to handle a different type of job.

It often takes a year or more to find out if your initial claim is going to be granted. Only a minority of applicants are granted disability benefits in less than six to twelve months. If your first filing is denied, your lawyer should be able to help you interpret the SSA’s denial and prepare all of the necessary paperwork required for your appeal.

How to Appeal a Denial

It can be very difficult to predict which blood and lymphatic diseases are most likely to help someone qualify for SSDI or SSI funds. However, this is often true no matter what type of medical condition someone is fighting. A recent Freedom of Information Act case made it  necessary for the SSA to reveal how specific Social Security administrative law judges have been ruling on various SSI and SSDI claims. Although applicants cannot choose their judges, it can still prove very revealing to see how various judges tend to rule on arguably similar cases.

Given the unpredictable nature of disability applications, it can be very useful to consult with an attorney who specializes in this field. This becomes especially useful after your initial request for benefits has been denied. (Many attorneys will not accept your case until you’ve been turned down following your first filing).

Getting Legal Help

If you’re currently trying to decide whether you should file for disability benefits, it may greatly help you to consult with a lawyer who specializes in securing such government benefits for their clients. A lawyer can also help you appeal your case.

Who Pays the Attorney Fees?

Keep in mind, you do not have to pay attorneys in these types of cases when you first hire them – they generally obtain their fees out of the back payment funds the Social Security Administration will normally owe you when your claim is finally granted. In addition, if a lawyer cannot secure any benefits for you, you should not be contractually bound to pay anything for your lawyer’s services. Be sure any attorney you hire specifically notes these terms in your contract.