What started as a minor inconvenience has morphed into a full-blown medical crisis. The illness that has disrupted your personal and professional lives appears to have considerable staying power, and according to your physician, the chances of a full recovery look bleak. In fact, your doctor says the illness is terminal, which means it cannot sufficiently be treated, or in the near future, cured.
As the last stage of a disease or an illness, terminal is often associated with medical conditions like cancer and heart disease.
You have accepted the diagnosis, and the time has come to address the implications of the diagnosis on your loved ones. It is critically important for you to handle the financial ramifications of a terminal illness to ensure your immediate family receives the money it needs to sustain a relatively stable lifestyle.
If you or someone in your immediate family has received the diagnosis of a terminal illness, your family’s financial health should not be a focal point for discussion.
Turn to the Social Security Administration (SSA) to apply for a program that has helped millions of Americans survive financially from the devastating news of a terminal illness diagnosis.
What You Need to Know about Social Security Disability Insurance
The SSA has approved millions of applicants for receiving Social Security disability benefits. Applicants submit a comprehensive form that describes the details of a disease or an illness, as well as documentation covering the amount of wages lost because of down time from work.
In a vast majority of cases, an applicant submitting a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) form for a terminal illness should expect timely approval of the application. The applicant must submit convincing medical records that confirm the diagnosis of the terminal illness, whether the late stage illness is cancer, heart disease, or another medical condition that involves an end stage healthcare diagnosis.
Qualifying for disability benefits requires an applicant to meet the standards set forth by the SSA Blue Book. The description for defining terminal illness falls under section 11 of the Blue Book.
If you have received a terminal illness diagnosis, you need to submit medical records confirming the end stage of life diagnosis, as well as copies of the W-2 forms that cover the last year you worked full-time and the current year that has kept you at home or at a hospice on a daily basis.
Auxiliary Benefits for Terminal Illness
A terminal illness case in front of the board of SSA healthcare and vocational experts is not just about the patient. It is also about the financial health of family survivors. When a terminally ill patient dies, the SSA has the power to provide financial benefits for children under the age of 18, as well as a spouse that has reached the age of 60.
Eligible family survivors can receive as much as 75 percent of the monthly income of the deceased by receiving Social Security disability benefits. The SSA also awards retroactive disability benefits for cases that last longer than average for SSDI applications.
Speak with an Experienced Attorney
Receiving a diagnosis for a terminal illness can cloud the judgment of the calmest and most collected patients. However, you have to think of your family’s financial health, as well as your own physical well-being. Schedule a free initial consultation today with a state licensed disability lawyer to ensure your SSDI application gains timely approval from the SSA.
