Some medical conditions are so serious that the Social Security Administration (SSA) fast-tracks a disability benefits application through a program called the Compassionate Allowance Program. Skin malignant melanoma with metastases is an example of the sort of medical condition that may lead to a compassionate allowance being considered. A diagnosis of skin malignant melanoma with metastases could mean that the patient only has a limited time left to survive. The granting of fast-tracked disability benefits can help the melanoma patient by relieving some of the financial pressure(s) that has resulted from their development of this disease.
What is Skin Malignant Melanoma with Metastases?
Skin malignant melanoma is a form of skin cancer. It is first noticed as a spot, mole or blemish somewhere on the surface of the skin, typically in places that have had exposure to the sun, although they can develop elsewhere, too. Untreated, skin malignant melanoma could be fatal, but, if it is detected early enough and removed, then the cancer may not spread. In some cases, the cancer may spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body and body organs, like the lungs or liver. This is very hard to treat and is usually unsurvivable. It is skin malignant melanoma that has reached the metastases stage that may qualify for early disability benefits payments through a compassionate allowance.
What is a Compassionate Allowance?
Compassionate allowances are a process that the SSA utilizes to speed up the decision-making process used to assess disability benefits applications and payments. Compassionate allowances are only available for a minority of disabling conditions that are very severe and hard to treat—and oftentimes lead to the untimely death of the benefits applicant. Malignant melanoma with metastases is normally unsurvivable, making it suitable for a compassionate allowance.
For the disability benefits application to succeed, the symptoms of the condition must match the requirements in the SSA’s Blue Book, section 13.29 (Neoplastic Diseases-Malignant-Adult).
Symptoms the SSA uses to assess disability applicants’ eligibility for a compassionate allowance include the following:
- Changes in sensation on the skin, such as itchiness, pain, or tenderness;
- Changes in the surface of the mole/skin;
- Redness or a new swelling beyond the border of a mole;
- Sores that do not heal;
- Spread of pigment from the border of a spot into surrounding skin;
- Unusual moles, sores, lumps, blemishes, markings, or changes on the skin.
Medical Evidence for Skin Malignant Melanoma
The SSA’s adjudicators will need to see convincing medical evidence that the applicant with skin malignant melanoma has a medical condition that qualifies for a compassionate allowance. The following evidence is the sort of evidence that can help to qualify someone’s disability application for approval.
- clinical history and examination that describes the diagnostic features of the melanoma;
- pathology and biopsy reports of the cancer;
- CT scans, MRI scans, or ultrasound reports showing that the cancer has metastasized.
Get Help With Your Skin Malignant Melanoma Claim
If your melanoma has metastasized, this is normally a very serious development. The SSA recognizes the seriousness of it by making this condition a possible candidate for a compassionate allowance. A compassionate allowance can help the melanoma patient by fast tracking the decision making process over granting disability benefits. A disability lawyer can help you with your disability benefits application.
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