 SSDRC Filing a Social Security Disability Application - How to File & the Information that is Needed by SSA Do you need a Lawyer at the Administrative Law Judge Disability Hearing? Social Security Disability Back pay and How Long it Takes to Qualify for it How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition? What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of benefits If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare? How much is paid for the Social Security Disability Attorney Fee? How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability? How To Get Disability Through SSDI or SSI Approved Should you get Help from a Disability Attorney before the Claim has been Denied? Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability Qualifying for Disability - What is Social Security Looking for? How do I check the status of my Social Security disability claim? What Expenses Will A Social Security Attorney Charge In Addition To The Fee? |
Facts about Multiple Myeloma and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1) Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, otherwise known as the white blood cells, which are produced in the marrow of the bones. The plasma cells are responsible for making antibodies (proteins) and due to this multiple myeloma can be responsible for a compromised immune system, among other issues. 2) Symptoms of multiple myeloma vary, but usually include bone pain, high levels of proteins and calcium in the blood or urine, infections such as pyelonephritis or pneumonia, acute or chronic kidney failure, normochromic or normocytic anemia, fatigue, confusion, excessive thirst, headache, weakness, carpal tunnel syndrome, and loss of bladder or bowel control. 3) The cause of multiple myeloma is unknown, though it is known that men are more likely to get the disease, obesity increases risk, and it is rare for the disease to be found in those younger than 40. Most people with multiple myeloma are around 55 or 60 years old when the disease is discovered. 4) In 2004 in the United States there were over 15,000 cases of the disease reported and over 11,000 deaths. Although survival rates can depend upon diagnosis, the average survival time once diagnosed is around 4-5 years. 5) Multiple myeloma can move throughout the body through the bloodstream and be found in places far away from the original site of the disease. 6) Complications due to multiple myeloma can include bone fractures, kidney failure and in extreme cases paralysis. There is also an increased risk for infections due to impaired immunity, and a high risk of anemia. 7) Blood tests, urine tests, bone marrow examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and computerized tomography scans(CT scans) may be used to diagnose multiple myeloma. 8) The disease isn’t contagious and has no cure, but can be treated with various drugs and therapies, from bortezomib, corticosteriods, thalidomide, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and stem cell transplantation. Other treatments may be included to treat certain complications, such as bone loss, anemia and back pain. 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: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page Topics and Questions Other Links SSD and SSI are Federal Programs The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here: Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials |