If you suffer from a long-term debilitating illness such as kidney cancer, you know how difficult it is to hold a steady job that pays the monthly bills.
In time, what was a solid full time job has turned into a sporadic part-time job that makes it impossible to keep up with bills. From lacking the energy to work eight hour shifts to missing work because of medical appointments, it appears you have nowhere to go for financial help. Where do you turn when a serious illness like kidney cancer prevents you from earning a living?
The answer is receiving financial assistance from a program set up years ago by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Federal Help Eases the Financial Burden of Lower Wages
As one of the most important programs administered by the SSA, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) represents a federal program that helps workers recover money lost from lower wages.
The SSDI program requires workers that need financial assistance because of lower wages to file a claim. What you need to know before applying with kidney cancer is the claim application must be completed accurately and filed in a timely manner to ensure you receive compensation that keeps your head above financial water.
The SSA bases its SSDI application decisions mostly on current income and the ability to hold a job. Income eligibility for SSDI assistance largely depends on how much you earn each month, which is referred to by the SSA as “substantial gain activity” (SGA). It is important to note that the SSA analyzes what applicants earn from working, not the income generated from other sources.
Is Kidney Cancer Covered by the Blue Book?
As the second factor in determining SSDI eligibility, the medical condition that has limited your hours or prevented you from working must be listed in the SSA reference guide called the Blue Book.
The Blue Book lists the requirements for which medical conditions qualify for SSDI eligibility, as well as the how the clinical findings and laboratory tests for each medical condition is defined. As with most cancers, the Blue Book defines kidney cancer as a medical condition that makes an SSDI applicant eligible to receive benefits.
Proving SSDI Eligibility
The SSA guidelines for SSDI eligibility states both American citizens and legal residents of the United States qualify to apply for SSDI benefits. If you meet the initial legal threshold for SSDI eligibility, then you must present evidence submitted with a SSDI application that proves you have a debilitating disability that is covered by SSDI benefits.
You also have to show the SSA how long you have held the same job, as well as demonstrate you no longer earn wages that are above the minimum threshold established by the SSA.
How to Apply for SSDI Benefits
There are several ways to apply for SSDI benefits, with one way considered the most effective way. Working with a disability attorney not only can expedite the SSDI application process, it can also prevent minor mistakes on an SSDI application from making you ineligible to receive money for the lost wages caused by a major illness like kidney disease.
Your disability lawyer can send your SSDI application through the United States Postal Service (USPS), but invariably, the quicker process involves submitting the online SSDI application offered by the SSA.
