What starts as a nagging pain located at the base on one side of the spine has morphed into severe pain that never fades away.
A once voracious appetite has turned into a little bit of nibbling at family meals. You eventually see your physician who sends you to a kidney specialist.
The news is not good, as the specialist diagnoses you with advanced kidney cancer.
Between frequent treatments and symptoms like fatigue and considerable weight loss, you are unable to work a full-time job.
How do you take care of your family during a health care crisis?
The answer is to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
What are SSDI Benefits?
Losing a job because of kidney cancer places a tremendous financial burden on patients.
Not only do you have to pay for daily living expenses such as food and shelter, you also have to stay current on a rapidly rising number of medical bills.
Managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA), SSDI benefits provide the financial bridge that helps kidney cancer patients focus on what matters the most: Getting healthy.
To qualify for SSDI benefits, American workers submit a claim to the SSA that documents everything associated with diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating the debilitating medical condition.
The Blue Book, which represents the official guide for determining SSDI benefits eligibility, lists kidney cancer under Section 13.0. Although kidney cancer is a medical condition listed in the Blue Book, applicants must also meet the standards listed for symptom severity.
Moreover, the SSA requires American workers that apply for SSDI benefits to work an approved job for a specified period.
Do SSDI Benefits Disqualify You for Medicare?
The American workforce has changed over the past 25 years, as a growing number of American workers choose to work beyond the age of 65. Sixty-five is the year that Medicare eligibility kicks in, which means anyone that qualifies for SSDI benefits at age 65 also can enroll in the Medicare health insurance program.
However, federal law mandates a waiting period of two years for disabled American workers that receive SSDI benefits before they can enroll in Medicare.
You also have to consider the fact that SSDI benefits cover all expenses for disabled American workers, not just the health costs covered by Medicare health insurance.
Return to Work Programs
The primary goal of the SSDI program is to get disabled workers healthy enough to assume working full time positions.
To help the transition from patient to productive worker, the SSA manages a work transition program called Ticket to Work.
The program assists formerly disabled workers by referring them to educational programs that teach new job skills.
For example, a formerly disabled construction foreman can learn how to repair computer hardware issues with the help of the SSA. Back to work programs allows the SSA to retain a financially healthy SSDI program to help those that need it the most.
Test Drive Your SSDI Application
The SSA applies several strict standards when evaluating SSDI applications.
To prepare for an SSDI application submission, consider working with an accomplished Social Security lawyer who conducts evaluations of SSDI claims.
You attorney can offer advice on how to bolster you claim, as well as stay on top of the status of your claim as it moves through the SSDI application process.
Schedule a free case evaluation today to boost your chances of receiving SSDI benefits.
