Suffering With Leukemia? Elevated White Cells Are Not Enough to Qualify for Disability Payments.

You don’t understand. You took a leave of absence from your job after you were diagnosed with leukemia, you have doctor’s visits every week at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, but still you were denied Social Security benefits for your condition. You’re on the bone marrow transplant waiting list, but there’s no way to know when a match will be found. Are you really expected to keep working despite your condition?

Medical Evidence Is Key to Getting Leukemia Benefits From Social Security

You may have been denied your Social Security disability benefits because you did not provide enough evidence of your condition. For instance, an elevated white blood cell count will not be enough to prove the severity of your condition to the Social Security Administration (SSA). You should provide as much medical evidence as you can in your benefits application, including the particulars of your diagnosis. For example:

• Acute leukemia. In cases of acute leukemia, including the accelerated or blast phase of chronic myelogenous (granulocytic) leukemia, patients should provide copies of a definitive bone marrow examination. If your diagnosis is supported by chromosomal analysis or cytochemical and surface marker studies on the abnormal cells, you should include those in your application as well. Any recurrent conditions should include pathology reports of blood, bone marrow, cerebrospinal fluid examination, or testicular biopsy.
• Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Your doctor should provide copies of positive findings of granulocytosis, including the presence of myelocytes and myeloblasts. You may also have a chromosomal analysis that demonstrates the Philadelphia chromosome.
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia. If you have a case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), you could be eligible for payments if you have chronic lymphocytosis of at least 10,000/mm 3 for three months or longer. You may also qualify for benefits based on the complications and impairments caused by your condition.

If you have been denied Social Security disability benefits, you can appeal your case. However, this time, you should enlist the help of an experienced attorney to make sure you are not denied a second time. If you have questions or need assistance with your appeal, start a live chat with us now.