Cancer

Clients Success Stories: Disability Benefits for Cancer

Plus additional resources on getting disability benefits for Cancer

Cancer

Cancer and cancer treatments can prevent you from working on a regular and continuous basis. Learn how you can qualify for disability benefits with cancer.

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What Social Security lists for Cancer

Disability benefits for Cancer are evaluated under Section 13.00 of Social Security’s Listing of Impairments – Adult Listings.

Per Social Security, this section is used to evaluate “all cancers (malignant neoplastic diseases) except certain cancers associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection” which may be evaluated under Immune System Disorders in Section 14.00.

To evaluate disability, Social Security considers 4 factors:

  1. Origin of the cancer.
  2. Extent of involvement.
  3. Duration, frequency, and response to anticancer therapy.
  4. Effects of any post-therapeutic residuals.

Specific types of cancer listed in Section 13.00 include:

  • Soft tissue cancers of the head and neck
  • Skin
  • Soft tissue sarcoma
  • Lymphoma
  • Leukemia
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Salivary glands
  • Thyroid gland
  • Breast
  • Skeletal system–sarcoma
  • Maxilla, orbit or temporal fossa
  • Nervous system
  • Lungs
  • Pleura or mediastinum
  • Esophagus or stomach
  • Small intestine
  • Large intestine
  • Liver or gallbladder
  • Pancreas
  • Kidneys, adrenal glands, or ureters–carcinoma
  • Urinary bladder–carcinoma
  • Cancers of the female genital tract–carcinoma or sarcoma
  • Prostate gland– carcinoma
  • Testicles
  • Penis
  • Primary site unknown
  • Cancer treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
  • Malignant melanoma

Related Disabling Conditions:

Primary central nervous system lymphoma – 14.11B under Immune System Disorders

Primary effusion lymphoma – 14.11C under Immune System Disorders

Pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma with HIV infection – 14.11E under Immune System Disorders

Cancers associated with HIV infection (Hodgkin lymphoma or non-pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma) – 14.11F–I under Immune System Disorders