Mesothelioma Social Security Disability
Individuals who are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer oftentimes undergo a rapid change in their daily life in which any type of career they are involved in must take a backseat to doctors’ visits and treatments. Because of that, patients and their families can very easily find themselves in financial trouble as they cover necessary costs on a suddenly-limited income.
However, families that find themselves struggling financially after a mesothelioma diagnosis may be able to take advantage of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs that have been put in place by the U.S. government to help provide financial assistance to workers who have become disabled and can no longer provide an appropriate level of income for their family.
The ability to apply for SSDI programs depends on whether or not one qualifies under the program’s unique definition of what it is to be disabled. Unlike clinical understandings of what is means to be disabled, the definition of “disability” under in regard to receiving insurance payments is strictly based on one’s ability to work.
One can be defined as “disabled” in the eyes of SSDI if one is no longer able to do what they had done for work before an injury or illness, cannot adjust to any other type of work following an injury or illness, or are hampered in a way that will affect one’s ability to work for the minimum of one year or until death.
Additionally, Social Security programs do assume that working families have access to other resources such as workers’ compensation, insurance, and savings so they can whether any short-term financial troubles.
In 2009, almost 51 million Americans received $673 billion in Social Security benefits. Of those, 7.6 million were disabled and received an average monthly benefit of $1,062. 1.8 million dependents of disabled workers also split $0.6 billion in benefits.
In addition to pursuing possible SSDI programs to ease the financial burdens that come with a mesothelioma diagnosis, patients and their families may also be able to pursue a monetary
mesothelioma settlement from a former employer that may be liable for causing the illness by exposing their workers to dangerous levels of
asbestos.
Contact a
mesothelioma lawyer for a legal consultation to learn more details of
asbestos laws and see if a lawsuit may be brought against a company if you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma.