If you or someone you love were recently diagnosed with glioblastoma and you were wondering whether it may qualify for Social Security disability benefits, this video is for you.
My name is Kaitlin Wildoner and I’m an attorney who helps disabled clients obtain their disability benefits as quickly as possible so they can focus on getting better.
In this video, we’re going to discuss when glioblastoma can qualify for the Social Security Disability compassionate allowance program. Glioblastoma is a fast-growing type of central nervous system cancer that forms from the supportive tissue in the brain and spinal cord and has cells that look very different from normal cells. It tends to spread aggressively throughout the brain tissue and is the most malignant of the primary brain cancers. Therefore, these cancers tend to be difficult to treat and often recur after initial therapy.
Glioblastoma most often occurs in adults between the ages of 45 and 75 and tends to affect the brain more often than the spinal cord. The only definitive test that can provide a diagnosis of glioblastoma is a biopsy of the cancer. Testing to confirm the diagnosis includes neuroimaging, such as CT or MRI, to provide additional information about the location, size, and shape of the cancer.
Social Security will often evaluate cases involving a glioblastoma under Listing 13.13A1 and for pediatric cases, Social Security will often evaluate it under Listing 113.13. When evaluating glioblastoma cases, Social Security is looking for clinical history and examinations that describe the diagnostic features of the impairment, any pathology reports, any operative reports, and then of course, results of any neuroimaging, like CT scans and MRI scans. However, the pathology report of the cancer biopsy or the surgical specimen is the most important piece of information necessary for the disability evaluation.
Thanks so much for watching. If you’re disabled and unable to work, click the scheduling link here or give us a call directly for a free consultation where we discuss your case and see what I can do to help you.
