September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month

September is National Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma Awareness month. Currently, there are approximately 1.3 million people in the United States living with or in remission from a “hematologic malignancy”, or blood cancer. In fact, blood cancers are the third leading cause of cancer death in America, with a new diagnosis being made every 3 minutes.

September has been designated as the month to bring attention to the three most common blood cancers. Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood; lymphoma is a cancer that starts in cells that are part of the body’s immune system; and myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. September is the month to help raise awareness, funds, and support for the many people who are impacted by these diseases.

To be approved for Social Security Disability or SSI benefits for any of the above-listed cancers, a claimant first needs to have a physician-confirmed diagnosis as evidenced by extensive blood lab work, urine protein electrophoresis, or bone marrow findings. Social Security also has a special process for people with diseases that are particularly severe and can meet Social Security’s medical eligibility requirements with clear medical evidence. For example, acute leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in its blast phase are the two types of leukemia that are included in the Compassionate Allowance program, which expedites your application for faster review.

If you have leukemia that doesn’t meet or equal the requirements of the Social Security Administration’s leukemia listing, you may be able to get benefits if you nevertheless suffer from the symptoms, complications, or limitations from your leukemia, cancer treatments, or stem cell transplant. To determine whether you can do your past work, the Social Security Administration will use your symptoms and limitations to create your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) assessment, which is an opinion of what you can and can’t do because of your medical condition. To determine whether you can do “other work,” Social Security uses your RFC as well as your age, education level, and work experience in making the determination of whether or not you can work any job.

If you or someone you know is unable to work due to a medical condition(s), please contact us for a free evaluation of your claim!

By: Joyce Trudeau of Premier Disability Services, LLC®