If you’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness you can receive up to $3,627 a month from the Social Security Administration. Disability benefits are almost always approved for someone with a terminal illness. And most terminal illnesses qualify for the Compassionate Allowance program, which means that your application will be fast-tracked for approval. Once your application for disability benefits is approved you could start receiving benefits in weeks.
How To Calculate How Much Disability You’ll Get With A Terminal Illness
Everyone receives a different benefit amount once their application for disability benefits is approved. The amount of the benefit that is awarded by the SSA depends on things like:
- Where you live
- Cost of living
- Medical expenses
- How old you are
- How many work credit you have or how many years you’ve worked
- The nature of your illness
- The severity of the illness or symptoms
The medical evidence that you submit with your application is important because the amount of money that you are awarded as a benefit depends in part on the documentation that shows how severe your illness and symptoms are.
Getting Back Pay For A Terminal Illness
If your application for Social Security disability benefits is denied and you need to go through the appeals process or if your application takes awhile to be approved you may qualify for back pay from the SSA. Back pay covers the months that you were eligible for benefits but were waiting for the application to be approved.
There is a five month waiting period for disability benefits. But if your application took longer than five months to be approved you may be paid a lump sum for the amount of the benefit you were awarded for each month after five. For example, if you applied for benefits in September and your application wasn’t approved until June you would receive back pay for six months.
If you have a terminal illness and qualify for the Compassionate Allowance program you will likely not be eligible for back pay because your application will be flagged for fast approval and fast payout. Often people who are eligible for the Compassionate Allowance program start to receive benefits in just a few weeks.
Retroactive Payments For A Terminal Illness
Retroactive payments are different from back pay. You can still qualify for retroactive payment if you are eligible for the Compassionate Allowance program. Retroactive payments are benefits that are paid from the date you were diagnosed with your medical condition to the date that you first filed for disability benefits. So if you were diagnosed with your illness in March, and didn’t apply for disability benefits until May you would be eligible for retroactive benefits.
Work With An Attorney
You should speak to an attorney that specializes in Social Security disability to make sure that you are getting all of the benefits you are eligible for. The last thing you should have to worry about is money. Attorneys are paid from the back pay that you receive. You don’t have to pay anything up front to speak with an attorney that specializes in disability cases. Fill out a Free Case Evaluation now to get connected with a participating, independent Social Security disability lawyer who subscribes to the website.
