The symptoms of the soft tissue sarcoma, along with the effects of treatment, often leave an individual so impaired that they are unable to work or perform many of the everyday tasks most people take for granted. If you are unable to work due to the effects of soft tissue sarcoma or other types of cancer, you may qualify for disability benefits.
M. Stanley Whitehead is a Houston disability benefits attorney who has helped disabled clients all over the nation get the disability benefits they deserve after an illness or injury has left them unable to work. If your disability claim has been denied, let M. Stanley Whitehead can help you appeal.
What is Soft Tissue Sarcoma?
Soft tissue sarcoma is cancer that develops in the connective tissues and peripheral nervous system. Sarcoma tumors can appear almost anywhere on the body, including the head, neck, trunk, arms, and legs. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, but environmental exposure to some types of chemicals, high levels of radiation, or having certain genetic conditions may put you at risk for developing soft tissue sarcoma.
Soft tissue sarcoma tumors grow at variable rates. The prognosis for soft tissue sarcoma depends on the type of soft tissue sarcoma; the size of the tumor(s) and their location; its spread, or metastasis, to other organs; whether all the tumor was removed during surgery; the individual’s age; and recurrence. Treatment for soft tissue sarcoma includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Left untreated, soft cell sarcoma is potentially deadly.
Getting Disability Benefits for Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Soft tissue sarcoma is listed in the Social Security Administration’s Bluebook of Listing of Adult Impairments in the section pertaining to cancer. When Social Security considers a disability claim for soft cell sarcoma cancer, they consider the following factors:
- The origin of the cancer.
- The extent of its involvement (the presence of cancer cells).
- The duration, frequency, and response to anticancer therapy.
- Post-therapeutic residual effects.
In order to be approved for Social Security disability benefits for soft tissue sarcoma, you will have to be able to prove that your medical condition and the treatment required are so severe that you are unable to perform work of any kind.
You can read more about the SSA’s requirements for qualifying for disability benefits here.
The requirements are similar for getting disability benefits through the VA. However, to qualify, you have to be able to demonstrate that your cancer is service-related.
If you are filing a group disability insurance claim for sarcoma, your insurance company may require you to apply for SSA disability as a condition for receiving a settlement.
July 2021 is Sarcoma Awareness Month
Sarcoma is a rare cancer. Some call it the “forgotten cancer.” As such, there is a lack of awareness and understanding about the disease. To highlight the challenges sarcoma patients face, as well as the need for more research and better therapies, the Sarcoma Foundation of America has declared July 2021 to be Sarcoma Awareness Month.
If Your Sarcoma Disability Benefits Claim Has Been Denied, M. Stanley Whitehead Can Help
If the symptoms of your sarcoma prevent you from working, you may qualify for Social Security or other disability benefits. In many instances disability claims are rejected not because the applicant doesn’t deserve them but simply because they failed to provide the necessary information the SSA and others required to make a decision. The law gives you the right to appeal their decision, but you only have a limited time in which to act. Board-certified disability benefits attorney M. Stanley Whitehead can help.
Contact the offices of M. Stanley Whitehead to schedule a free, initial consultation to discuss your disability claim. With our assistance, you can submit an appeal that definitively establishes your disability so you can collect the benefits you and your family need.
