The Financial Drain of Cancer /Applying for Disability

Battling cancer can be a financial nightmare for many people.  Cancer treatments can often leave people too sick or exhausted to continue working.  Below is some helpful information if applying for disability is something you are considering.

The Social Security and Disability Resource Center (SSDRC.com) is an informational website that provides answers to questions about how to apply for disability, how to appeal a claim in the event of a denial, how to navigate the federal system, and how to avoid certain mistakes that are commonly made by applicants. The site’s author is a former disability examiner for the social security administration.

Here is a link to the site's home page: http://www.ssdrc.com/

This page has information about how severe your condition must be in order to qualify: http://www.ssdrc.com/disabilityquestions1-37.html

Don’t qualify or need additional assistance?  Check for resources within the county and state that you live in.  There are many regional organizations that provide financial assistance as well as home care and meals during treatment.  A few examples:

http://www.bustedfoundation.org/resources.html

http://www.babylonbreastcancer.org/

The following is also an excellent resource for locating financial assistance:

http://www.embodiworks.org/cancertreatments/resources/cancerfinancialassistance/

Additional resources for financial assistance:

https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/factsheet/FactsheetSearch8_3.aspx

http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Newly+Diagnosed/Financial+Resources

Elyn Jacobs

Elyn Jacobs is a certified cancer coach, a breast cancer survivor and the Executive Director for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation.  She empowers women to choose the path for treatment that best fits their own individual needs.  Elyn helps women to uncover the nutritional deficiencies and emotional stress patterns that may have contributed to their cancer and to support their body as it activates it own natural ability to fight the disease. She is passionate about helping others move forward into a life of health and wellbeing. To learn more about Elyn’s coaching services or to learn more about eating for life, please visit:  http://elynjacobs.wordpress.com. For information regarding grants for women utilizing integrative therapies for cancer, please visit: http://www.emeraldheart.org/.