Working can become challenging if you’re living with multiple myeloma. Symptoms such as fatigue, pain from bone lesions, and anemia may make it hard to keep a job. Side effects from treatments can also make working difficult. “It’s getting harder to work 40 hours a week,” one MyMyelomaTeam member reported.
“All of my energy goes into working, and there isn’t any left at the end of the day,” a second member shared.
In the United States, many people with multiple myeloma who can no longer work seek Social Security disability benefits to replace their lost income. Applying for a disability claim can feel daunting, as can the prospect of appealing a rejected application.
The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) has numerous rules and requirements for applying for disability. This article will help guide you through the process.
Two federal disability programs are offered in the United States: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Receiving either of these benefits requires that you have a qualifying disability that stops you from working.
Funded through payroll taxes, SSDI provides benefits to people who have a recent full-time work history. If you’re approved, you can receive benefits six months after your disability was diagnosed. After receiving SSDI for 24 months, you’ll become eligible for Medicare.
SSI provides disability benefits to low-income individuals, regardless of work history. If you’re approved, you can start receiving benefits in the next month. If you became disabled before your SSI application was approved, you may also be eligible for back payments.
In most states, SSI eligibility qualifies you for Medicaid. However, in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and the Northern Mariana Islands, you have to apply for Medicaid separately. The criteria are the same for both, although SSI eligibility criteria vary across states.
Most states provide an SSI supplement, with these exceptions: Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The eligibility rules for supplements vary by state.
There is an asset cap for receiving Supplemental Security Income: $2,000 for individuals or $3,000 for couples. The Social Security Administration has a list of which assets (“resources”) are considered. Your primary residence, household belongings, and one personal vehicle are not counted among these assets.
You may qualify for both SSDI and SSI if you have very limited funds and a work history.
In determining your eligibility for disability benefits if you have myeloma, the Social Security Administration will evaluate several factors, including the following:
The Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowance program quickly identifies certain illnesses that meet the disability definition. Most of these conditions are cancers, rare pediatric illnesses, and adult brain disorders. However, multiple myeloma is not included on the list of Compassionate Allowances conditions. This means your disability application may not be fast-tracked, but you can still apply for disability through the standard SSI or SSDI process.
Although it isn’t a cancer, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a risk factor for myeloma. Some people with MGUS may wonder whether they qualify for disability. MGUS isn’t listed on the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments. However, people with MGUS may still be eligible for disability, depending on whether they’re unable to work and meet the other disability criteria.
People with multiple myeloma should expect to fill out a lot of paperwork in applying for benefits. The Social Security Administration offers a checklist of necessary application information. Below is a summary of what you’ll need to provide.
Members of MyMyelomaTeam have shared advice such as the following for others seeking disability benefits:
You can apply for SSDI online if you aren’t currently receiving benefits and haven’t been denied in the past 60 days. You may use this approach if you’re at least 18 and can’t work due to a medical condition that’s projected to last one year or more or may result in death. If you don’t meet any of those criteria, you can still apply at a local Social Security office or over the phone.
“I went to the Social Security office to apply for early benefits. [A worker] had me set up with a phone call to get disability,” one MyMyelomaTeam member said.
The SSA takes an average of seven months to process a disability benefits application. Getting approval can take even longer. Members of MyMyelomaTeam have reported varied experiences.
“Finally got disability, after months of fighting,” one member shared.
“I applied for Medicaid and SS disability and it only took a month; I was very surprised that it didn’t take longer,” wrote a second member.
Only 19 percent to 21 percent of applicants for disability benefits between 2013 and 2022 were approved on their first attempt, according to the 2023 SSDI statistical report. If your application is denied, you can appeal the decision. Reconsideration is the first step. Your case will be evaluated by someone who did not participate in the first review of your application. From 2013 through 2022, about 2 percent of disability cases that weren’t approved the first time were approved during reconsideration.
If necessary, you may file a second appeal, which includes a hearing before an administrative law judge trained in disability laws. You may have a Social Security disability attorney represent you at this hearing. Some law firms specialize in handling disability hearings. In most cases, these disability lawyers don’t require a set, up-front payment — instead, they’ll take a percentage of any benefits you do receive.
If you’re denied at this level, you can ask the Appeals Council to review and decide your case. About 7 percent of SSDI claims between 2013 and 2022 were approved during a hearing with an administrative law judge or the Appeals Council. If they deny your appeal, the only remaining option is a federal court hearing.
The process of applying for disability benefits can be stressful. The more thorough your initial application is, the better your chances are of being approved. MyMyelomaTeam members have shared valuable tips for applying and appealing, such as:
If you’d like to research more about disability benefits in countries outside of the United States, check out these resources, listed by country:
MyMyelomaTeam is the social network for people with multiple myeloma. On MyMyelomaTeam, more than 27,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with myeloma.
Have you applied for Social Security disability benefits due to myeloma? Do you have any advice about the process? Post a comment below, or start a conversation on your Activities page.
I TRIED..they Told Me I Was Too Old That Was A Insult. Age 72🤔🤔
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A MyMyelomaTeam Member
I have been on SSD for going on five years now. But I believe come August I have to retire and no longer can get disability. Which I was told once I retire my SS check will be less than my SSD check… read more