Sunday, August 28, 2011

Multiple Myeloma Blog

Multiple Myeloma Blog


Social Security Disability Information For Multiple Myeloma Patients

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 06:18 AM PDT

I receive emails constantly from readers with Social Security Disability questions.

Here is some advice and guidance I found on a site appropriately called "Social Security Disability Help"...

Filing for Social Security Disability with a Multiple Myeloma Diagnosis

Multiple Myeloma has been determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to be one of the diseases which can cause a person to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. In their impairment listing manual (otherwise known as the "Blue Book"), the SSA details the criteria which are used to evaluate the impact of the disease on the life of the patient in order to determine their disability status. In the case of Multiple Myeloma, those criteria are:
  • Failure to respond to treatment or continuing disease in spite of therapy used to prevent the abnormal growth of new cells, or
  • Multiple myeloma with stem cell or bone marrow transplantation. The patient will be considered to be disabled for one year following the date of surgery, with the patient's condition to be thereafter evaluated based on ongoing complications. For example, if kidney disease lingered past the one year mark, the disability case would then be evaluated based on that diagnosis.
It is also important to note that the SSA specifies that the disease is to be confirmed through appropriate blood or urine tests and through bone marrow examinations, which would usually include a bone marrow biopsy.

Your Multiple Myeloma Disability Case

If you have been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and have been unable to work either because of the disease or because of the impact the treatment has had on you, then it is possible that you could qualify to receive Social Security Disability benefits. In order to minimize the chance of having your case be delayed by a lengthy appeal, it is strongly recommended that you consult with an experienced Social Security Disability attorney.


While filling out an application doesn't seem very intimidating to most of us, the reality is that over two thirds of the first-time applications for Social Security Disability Income benefits are denied. All too often, the people whose cases are denied are completely entitled to receive their benefits. The problem is not with their condition, but with proving their condition. 

Having a disabling condition that qualifies is one thing, but having that condition properly documented so that it will withstand the scrutiny of a legal proceeding is another matter entirely. Your qualified Social Security Disability attorney has the skills and the resources to make sure that all of your documentation accurately reflects the medical impact this disease has had upon your life, minimizing the possibility that your case could get stuck for months or maybe even years in the seemingly endless appeal process.

Here is a LINK back to their site.  Sifting through the information there may be useful to those of you who are thinking about applying for SSDI.

Feel good and keep smiling!  Pat

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