 SSDRC Filing an Application for Disability Benefits Social Security Disability List of Impairments Social Security Disability and SSI Back pay Social Security Disability Status SSI Disability Benefits Social Security Disability and SSI Requirements Social Security, SSI, and Mental Disability How Long Does It Take To Get Disability Benefits? Qualifying: What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability? |
Facts about Breast Cancer and Filing for Disability1) Although breast cancer can affect both sexes, it is nearly 100 times more common in women than men. 2) Breast cancer most commonly starts within the lining of the milk-producing ducts, called invasive ductal carcinoma. 3) It has been reported that nearly eighty percent of breast cancer cases are found due to a lump showing up in the breast. A lump in the armpit may also be a sign of breast cancer and other lesser known symptoms may be bloody discharge from the nipple, inverted nipple and changes to the breast such as size, shape or feel. 4) Due to breast cancer, sometimes there is a skin condition called peau d’orange, which is characterized by the skin of the breast taking on a texture resembling that of an orange peel with redness and pitting of the skin. 5) Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the United States, coming in right under skin cancer, and the second most common cancer in the world, following the most common cancer: lung cancer. 6) There are a wide variety of types and classifications of breast cancer. There are four different ways to determine the type of breast cancer: grade of tumor, protein and gene expression, pathology, and the stage of the tumor. 7) There are quite a few conditions that can increase the risk of breast cancer, including being female, having a family history of breast cancer, aging, drinking alcohol, having your first child after the age of 35, radiation exposure, obesity, and postmenopausal hormone therapy. 8) There are options for women who have a very high risk of breast cancer. They can choose to either try out preventative medications that can help reduce the risk of breast cancer, such as raloxifene or tamoxifen, or they may choose to have their breasts removed surgically so they are not at risk. Can you qualify for disability benefits with this condition? Whether or not you qualify for disability and, as a result, are approved for disability benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records. This includes whatever statements may have been obtained from your treating physician (a doctor who has a history of treating your condition and is, therefore, qualified to comment as to your condition and prognosis). It will also depend on the information obtained from your vocational, or work, history if you are an adult, or academic records if you are a minor-age child. The important thing to keep in mind is that the social security administration does not award benefits based on simply having a condition, but, instead, will base an approval or denial on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations. Functional limitations can be great enough to make work activity not possible (or, for a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities). Why are so many disability cases lost at the disability application and reconsideration appeal levels? Speaking as a former Disability Claims Examiner, I can state that there are several reasons: 1) Social Security makes no attempt to obtain a statement from a claimant's treating physician. By contrast, at the hearing level, a claimant and his or her disability attorney will generally obtain and present this type of statement to a judge; 2) Prior to the hearing level, a claimant will not have the opportunity to explain how their condition limits them, nor will their attorney or representative have the opportunity to make a presentation based on the evidence of the case. At the hearing level, of course, this is exactly what happens. And a number of disability representatives will also take such steps even earlier, at the reconsideration appeal level; 3) Disability judges, unlike disability examiners who decides cases at the first two levels of the system, can make independent decisions without being overturned by immediate supervisors--which happens frequently. 
Return to: Topics and Questions Return to Social Security Disability Resource Center Or click to one of the following: Return to -- Social Security Appeals Time Limit Return to -- Can I Talk To the Disability Examiner Working On My Case? Return to -- What Expenses Will A Social Security Attorney Charge In Addition To The Fee? Return to -- Do Most People Need To See A Judge To Get Disability Benefits From Social Security? Return to -- Social Security Disability Lawyers and 25% Back Pay Return to -- Will Social Security Attempt To Get A Letter From Your Doctor To Help Your Case? Return to -- What Is The Difference In SSD and SSI? Return to -- How is Social Security Disability and SSI Awarded? Return to -- Will my children get benefits if I get approved for disability? Return to -- Why Does It Take So Long To Get A Call Back From The Social Security Office? Return to -- Does Being Represented On A Disability Claim Win The Case Faster? Return to -- Applying for Disability according to state of residence Return to -- Social Security Disability SSI Blog , About the Author Return to -- Social Security Disability and Money in the Bank Return to -- How long do you have To Be Out Of Work Before You Get Social Security Disability (SSD)? Return to -- The first appeal in a social security disability or SSI case Return to -- Using a Lawyer for an SSDI Disability Case Return to -- Social Security Disability SSI, Medical and Mental Conditions and Problems Return to -- Disability Lawyers - Questions about Hiring a Disability Attorney Return to -- Disability Lawyers in Various States Other Links |