BRAIN CANCER AND DISABILITY
DOES BRAIN CANCER QUALIFY FOR SSD BENEFITS?
Brain cancer is a serious condition that can cause severe physical and mental symptoms. It can have a significant impact on your ability to work and make it difficult for you to support yourself. Fortunately, there are several ways for a person with brain cancer to obtain Social Security benefits.
These benefits can provide financial stability and peace of mind while you work to manage your condition. In this article, we will discuss the different types of Social Security benefits available for those with brain cancer. We will show you how to file an application for SSD benefits. Additionally, we will also discuss the importance of hiring a lawyer with Social Security legal experience to help you win benefits.
The most common type of benefit to apply if you have brain cancer is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. This is a benefit that pays a portion of your monthly income, because you are unable to work due to illness. To apply, you must submit an application to the Social Security Administration. You can apply online on the Social Security’s website. Next, you will need to submit medical evidence to the SSA that proves you cannot work. Additionally, your brain cancer must prevent you from working for one year or more.
Another option is filing an application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The SSI program provides benefits based on financial need. Therefore, if you have a brain cancer, you can receive benefits even if you have no work experience. You can also win benefits if your brain cancer symptoms prevent you from working at your past job and any other job. Additionally, you can win benefits if the side effects from treatment leaves you unable to work.
DOES IT MATTER IF YOUR BRAIN TUMOR IS BENIGN OR MALIGNANT?
Some brain tumors are “benign” or noncancerous. Other brain tumors are “malignant” or cancerous. Brain tumors that start in your brain are known as primary brain tumors. If your cancer began in another part of your body and spread to your brain, then you have a secondary brain tumor.
The most common type of benign brain tumor is called a meningioma. Meningiomas are tumors made up of cells that form the thin covering around your spinal cord and brain. They make up about 75% of all benign brain tumors. You may be thinking that if a brain tumor is benign or noncancerous, then you don’t qualify for benefits. However, it depends upon your symptoms.
For example, benign meningiomas often cause seizures or headaches in the first few weeks to months after diagnosis. They don’t usually cause problems with your vision, hearing, or motor skills. However, if seizures or headaches are ongoing, then you might not be able to work. If you have chronic headaches, then talk to your doctor about whether you might have a meningioma.
Finally, if you have a malignant brain tumor that is inoperable, metastatic, or is not responding to treatment, then you should automatically meet SSA’s medical rules for benefits. There is a good chance that the SSA will quickly approve your case without the need for a hearing. But, your lawyer should flag your case as a compassionate allowance case to make sure that happens.
BRAIN CANCER SYMPTOMS
A brain tumor is a mass of cells that grows and divides uncontrollably. It is brain cancer if these cells are found within the brain or the central spinal canal. Tumors that start in the brain are called primary brain tumors. Those that spread to the brain from other parts of the body, such as the lungs, kidney, breast, or pancreas, are known as secondary tumors.
Brain tumors can cause a variety of symptoms, from nausea, headaches, and seizures to problems with speech, sight, and sound.
Below please find some of the symptoms of brain cancer:
- New onset headaches
- Headaches that slowly get worse
- Unexplained vomiting and nausea
- Blurred vision, double vision, or loss of side vision
- Loss of feeling or movement in an arm or a leg
- Trouble with balance
- Speech issues
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Trouble making simple decisions
- Inability to follow simple instructions
- Personality changes
- Seizures
- Hearing problems
If you have a number of these symptoms, then you could have a brain tumor. Therefore, you should seek treatment from a doctor who is a cancer expert.
TREATMENT FOR BRAIN CANCER
There are a number of treatment options for brain cancer. However, the chance of recovering from brain cancer depends on the size and location of your brain tumor. It also depends on whether the cancer has spread to the rest of your body. Surgery may be an option to remove or reduce the size of a brain tumor, but many tumors are inoperable. In other cases, surgery may not work. Surgery is not likely to cure cancer, but it can stop the spread of the tumor. It can also prevent seizures in some cases.
Other options for treating brain tumors include radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Medications may be used to treat brain cancer, but they will not cure the condition. These medications can help relieve symptoms and reduce the chance of seizures. They may also lower the risk of a second primary tumor from coming back in the same location.
Consciousness raising drugs are sometimes given to brain tumor patients during periods of remission or when their symptoms do not require sedation. In these cases, these drugs work by helping you stay awake and alert. They also help pain control.
Sedative drugs are commonly used to reduce anxiety and induce sleep in people with brain tumors. The side effects from these medical therapies can be severe and also prevent you from working. If that is the case, then the side effects from brain cancer therapy can form the basis of your claim.
NEW TREATMENTS FOR BRAIN CANCER
A July 2024 article from New York Magazine about immunotherapy offers a new form of treatment for glioblastoma. Scientists Marcela Maus and Bryan Choi are using the immune system’s all purpose killer, the T cell, to destroy glioblastomas.
The T cell sends a signal to neutralize pathogens of all sorts, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It is also destroying cancer cells. The doctors extract T cells from the patient’s blood. Then, they edit the cells’ DNA in a lab and reintroduce them at the site of the tumor. They infuse the genetically modified white blood cells directly into the fluid surrounding the brain. The body treats the cancer as if it is a virus and destroys the tumor.
Glioblastoma is the most common type of malignant brain cancer. It can strike at any age and it is fatal. Patients are usually diagnosed in the emergency room after the tumor causes some symptoms like a seizure, sudden loss of speech, or an inability to control the limbs on one side of the body. The median time from diagnosis to death is just over a year.
With this new treatment, there is hope that eventually the treatment will go beyond the trial phase. Unfortunately, the median costs of T cell modification therapy is $620,000. As more treatments like this get FDA approval, the cost should go down. Researchers are also looking at ways to use a virus to genetically modify T cells inside of the body of the patient. If they can do this, it will also lower the costs of the treatment.
SSA LISTING 13.13 AND BRAIN CANCER
If you have brain cancer, the SSA will use “Blue Book” listing 13.13 for cancer of the central nervous system to determine if you meet their listing. Listing 13.13 is for cancer of the primary central nervous system, which includes brain and spinal cord cancers. In order to meet listing 13.13, your brain tumor must be a malignant tumor of the brain, spinal cord, or spinal root that has come back after initial treatment.
For examples of malignant tumors, the SSA lists glioblastoma multiforme, ependymoblastoma, and diffuse intrinsic brain stem gliomas. They also include any grade III or grade IV CNS cancer, including astrocytomas, sarcomas, medulloblastoma and other neuroectodermal tumors. Below you will find the elements of listing 13.13:
Listing 13.13 Nervous system.
A. Primary central nervous system (CNS; that is brain and spinal cord) cancers, as described in 1,2 or 3:
1. Glioblastoma multiforme, ependymoblastoma, and diffuse intrinsic brain stem gliomas.
2. Any Grade III or Grade IV CNS cancer, including astrocytomas, sarcomas, and medulloblastoma and other primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs).
3. Any primary CNS cancer, as described in a or b:
b. Progressive or recurrent following initial anticancer therapy.
OR
B. Primary peripheral nerve or spinal root cancers, as described in 1 or 2:
2. Progressive or recurrent following initial anticancer therapy.
Social Security will decide whether you meet the listing by reading the medical evidence in your case. They then compare the evidence to the elements of the listing. Therefore, it is crucial that you submit all of your medical records to the SSA. You should also submit a statement from your doctor as to whether you meet the listing. If your brain cancer meets the listing, then you should win benefits without having to wait for a hearing.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF BRAIN CANCER
There are many different types of brain tumors. Each kind of brain cancer gets its name from the type of cells involved. For example, below you will find a list of different form of primary brain tumors:
- Acoustic neuromas (schwannomas). These tumors are benign. They develop on the nerves that control balance and hearing leading from your inner ear to your brain.
- Craniopharyngiomas. These tumors are rare. They start near the pituitary gland, which secretes hormones that controls many body functions. As the tumor slowly grows, it can also affect the pituitary gland and other structures near the brain.
- Germ cell tumors. Germ cell tumors can develop during childhood where the testicles or ovaries form. Sometimes germ cell tumors affect other parts of the body, such as the brain.
- Gliomas. These tumors begin in the brain or spinal cord and include astrocytomas, ependymomas, glioblastomas, oligoastrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas.
- Medulloblastomas. These brain tumors are most common in children, though they can occur at any age. A medulloblastoma starts in the lower part of the brain and spreads through the spinal fluid.
- Meningiomas. A meningioma is a tumor that grows from the membranes that are around your brain and spinal cord. Most meningiomas are not cancer.
- Pituitary adenomas. These tumors develop in the pituitary gland at the base of your brain. They can affect the pituitary hormones.
SECONDARY BRAIN TUMORS
Secondary or metastatic brain tumors are tumors that result from cancer that starts outside of your brain, but then spreads to your brain. This type of brain tumor usually occurs in people who have a past history of cancer. However, though it is rare, a metastatic brain tumor may be a sign of cancer that began in another location in your body.
Any cancer that starts in the body can then spread to the brain. Common types of cancer that spread to the brain include:
BRAIN CANCER IMPACTS YOUR RESIDUAL FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY
If your brain cancer does not meet listing 13.13, you can still receive benefits if your brain cancer impairs your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is the medical finding of what you can physically do in a work setting, considering your brain cancer. It is your limits after taking into account your brain cancer symptoms.
Your RFC includes both your physical and mental limits. In terms of physical limits, the SSA tries to define your ability to sit, stand, walk, and lift, during the course of an 8 hour workday. Likewise, the SSA will include your ability to carry, pull, and push. Find out how the SSA defines work.
In order to figure out your physical RFC, the SSA will examine your medical records. They will take into account what your doctor states in your medical records about your ability to work. Additionally, the SSA has their own doctors that review your medical records, but never meet or examine you. These doctors are paid by the government and work for DDS, the state agency who reviews all cases. The SSA will take the medical opinion of these doctors into account too. Likewise, if they need more information, they may send you to a medical exam. Learn what to expect at SSA’s doctor exam.
The SSA will also consider descriptions of your symptoms from your family and friends. Find out what types of evidence the SSA must consider. For example, your family or friends could write a statement about the effects of your brain cancer symptoms. Find out how RFC along with your age can win your benefits.
COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCES FOR BRAIN CANCER
Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances program allows a person with a severe medical condition, like brain cancer, to win benefits in a short period of time. Some of the tumors listed above, like glioblastoma multiforme, spread very quickly and are fatal. Therefore, the SSA should automatically grant your benefits for this type of brain tumor. The average survival time after being found to have this type of tumor is 12 to 16 months.
If you have this type of brain tumor, then you should apply for SSD benefits as soon as possible. Make sure that the SSA has all your medical evidence. Then, have your doctor write a letter to the SSA that talks about the outcome of your cancer. If you have an attorney, then they will have the SSA flag your case as a Compassionate Allowance. This should speed up your case. Therefore, you should receive benefits within a matter of weeks.
WHAT WE DO TO HELP YOU WIN SSDI AND SSI BENEFITS
You do not need to apply for Social Security benefits by yourself. You can always call our law firm and we will help you. Cannon Disability can help you file your SSD and SSI application. Also, we can help you appeal every SSA denial. For example, our attorneys and staff can:
- Send you the paperwork and forms you need to become our client
- Help you file your application for SSD and SSI benefits
- Inform the SSA they should pay you benefits under the Compassionate Allowance Rules
- Request review if you get an initial denial from DDS
- Help you confirm your SSA doctor exam
- Request a Hearing with an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)
- Prepare you to testify at your ALJ hearing
- Represent you at your hearing and question the expert witnesses
- Read about job expert testimony at your SSA hearing
- Learn about medical expert testimony
- Request review of an SSA decision with the Appeals Council
- Request review of an Appeals Council denial in Federal Court
If you file your application for benefits online at Social Security’s website, then you have 6 months to complete the application. Once you submit your application online, the SSA sends you an application summary in the mail. You must sign the summary and mail it back. If you don’t send it back, the SSA will not process your application. Sign it and send it back as soon as you can.
HIRE US FOR OUR YEARS OF LEGAL EXPERIENCE
The SSA benefits application and appeal process can be long and complicated. It certainly won’t be easier for you if you have brain cancer. Hire Cannon Disability Law to give you legal advice and walk you through the application process. In the past 30 years, we have won millions of dollars in ongoing and past due due benefits for our clients.
If you want to win benefits, then hire an attorney with the legal experience to win your case. We do not charge you any money up front to help you or for you to become our client. You only pay us an attorney fee when you win benefits. If you don’t win, then you don’t pay an attorney fee. For help, contact us today.
If you want to learn more about our lawyers and staff, then read our About Us page. For example, you can learn about Andria Summers, who has 21 experience working on SSD cases. She can also help you with your Medicare advantage plan. She has won thousands of SSDI and SSI cases.
Additionally, Dianna Cannon has been helping her clients win benefits for over thirty years. Ms. Cannon has years of Federal Court experience. Brett Bunkall also has years of legal experience helping people obtain their SSI and SSD benefits. We are Social Security law experts. You can trust us to help you win your benefits for brain cancer and also, to make a difficult process as easy as possible for you.
WE OFFER A FREE REVIEW OF YOUR SSD BENEFITS
If you need help filing for benefits due to brain cancer, then reach out to our law firm. Taking the first step by calling us. All you need to do is reach out to our legal team.
Additionally, we offer a free review of your case. What that means is that you can call us and explain your situation. At that point, we will look at the merits of your case for free. Also, we will let you know if you have a chance to win benefits. We do not charge you for our review of your case.
In the past 30 years, we have won over $100 million in SSDI and SSI benefits for our clients. We are experts at what we do and we will put our knowledge to work for you. Hire us to be your Social Security legal team.
We help clients win benefits in many states, including Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and California. Find out more about your benefits and how to apply in your state here:
- California SSDI and SSI benefits
- Colorado SSDI and SSI benefit information
- Idaho SSDI and SSI benefits
- Nevada SSDI and SSI benefits
- Utah SSDI and SSI benefits
No matter where you live, we want to be your legal team. Hire the best Social Security legal team with no money down. Also, there will be no attorney fee unless we win your case. Contact us today. We will do our best to help you win SSDI and SSI benefits for brain cancer. We know that it is a serious and possibly fatal disease, so we will also due our best to win your brain cancer benefits as quickly as possible.
