Being diagnosed with cancer is an Earth-shattering event. However, not all cancers are the same. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes that some cancers are especially aggressive. The SSA includes 49 cancers in its Compassionate Allowance Program.
Twenty-eight of these cancers have a low survival rate. Anyone who is diagnosed with one of these cancers is automatically eligible to receive expedited processing of his or her Social Security disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) application. Anyone diagnosed with these cancers will receive SSDI or SSI if they can show medical verification of a diagnosis:
- Acute leukemia
- Adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Bilateral retinoblastoma
- Endometrial stromal sarcoma
- Esophageal cancer
- Ewing sarcoma
- Gallbladder cancer
- Glioblastoma multiforme (adult brain tumor)
- Glioma, grades III and IV
- Hepatoblastoma
- Leiomyosarcoma
- Liver Cancer
- Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor
- Malignant germ cell tumor
- Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)
- Mucosal malignant melanoma
- Pancreatic cancer
- Peritoneal mesothelioma
- Peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Primary central nervous system lymphoma
- Primary effusion lymphoma
- Pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma
- Salivary tumors
- Sinonasal cancer
- Small cell cancer of the large intestine, ovary, prostate, or uterus
- Small cell lung cancer
- Small intestine cancer
Twenty-one other cancers are included on the list. To qualify for the Compassionate Allowance Program, an applicant must show that the cancer is severe based on criteria set by the SSA. These cancers include:
- Adrenal cancer with distant metastases, or inoperable, unresectable, or recurrence
- Anaplastic adrenal cancer with distant metastases, or inoperable, unresectable, or recurrence
- Bladder cancer with distant metastases, or inoperable or unresectable
- Breast cancer with distant metastases, or inoperable or unresectable
- Carcinoma of unknown primary site
- Chondrosarcoma with multimodal therapy
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), blast phase
- Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma, metastatic or recurrent
- Head and neck cancers with distant metastases, or inoperable or unresectable
- Kidney cancer, inoperable or unresectable
- Large intestine cancer with distant metastasis; or inoperable, unresectable, or recurrent
- Lymphomatoid granulomatosis, grade III
- Malignant melanoma, with metastases
- Merkel cell carcinoma, with metastases
- Non-small cell lung cancer with metastases to or beyond the hilar nodes, or inoperable, unresectable, or recurrent
- Osteosarcoma, with distant metastases, or inoperable or unresectable
- Ovarian cancer, with distant metastases, or inoperable or unresectable
- Peripheral nerve cancer, metastatic or recurrent
- Spinal nerve root cancer, metastatic or recurrent
- Stomach cancer, with distant metastases, or inoperable, unresectable, or recurrent
- Ureter Cancer, with distant metastases, or inoperable, unresectable, or recurrent
To learn more about applying for SSDI and SSI, request a free copy of our brochure, Give Yourself the Best Chance of Winning Your Social Security Disability Case. For assistance with your Social Security application, contact the experienced and compassionate Omaha Social Security disability lawyers at Cuddigan Law at 402-933-5405. Your first evaluation is free.
