Multiple Myeloma and Social Security Disability Benefits

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Multiple Myeloma and Social Security and SSI Disability Benefits

by R. M. Bottger

When people with multiple myeloma apply for Social Security and/or Supplemental Security Income disability benefits, the Social Security Administration looks at a number of factors. If the person with multiple myeloma meets any of the criteria described in this article, then he or she will be found disabled.

Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) is considered disabling if appropriate medically acceptable imaging shows evidence of bony involvement and the person has intractable bone pain.

Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) is considered disabling if it has caused hypercalcemia with serum calcium levels persistently greater than 11 mg per decileter (100 ml) for at least 1 month despite prescribed therapy.

Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) is considered disabling if it has caused plasma cells (100 or more cells per cubic millimeter) in the peripheral blood.

Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) is considered disabling if it has caused irreversible renal failure requiring chronic hemodialysis.

Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) is considered disabling if it has caused irreversible renal failure requiring a kidney transplant. The person is considered disabled for 12 months after the transplant. After 12 months, the case is reevaluated to see what impairment is present at that time.

Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) is considered disabling if it has caused persistent elevation of serum creatinine to 4 mg. per deciliter (100 ml.) or greater or reduction of creatinine clearance to 20 ml. per minute (29 liters/ 24 hours) or less, over at least 3 months, with one of the following:

Renal osteodystrophy manifested by severe bone pain shown by appropriate medically acceptable imaging (e. g., osteitis fibrosa, marked osteoporosis, pathologic fractures)

A clinical episode of pericarditis

Persistent motor or sensory neuropathy

Intractable pruritus

Persistent fluid overload syndrome resulting in diastolic hypertension (110 mm. or above) or signs of vascular congestion

Persistent anorexia with recent weight loss and current weight meeting the values in the tables at the bottom of this article

Persistent hematocrits of 30 percent or less

Most of the time, existing medical records are enough to evaluate multiple myeloma. Most of the time, the Social Security Administration does not need to schedule examinations to evaluate multiple myeloma. If a person’s multiple myeloma is not severe enough to be considered disabling, then the Social Security Administration will investigate any other physical or mental impairments that the person has to see if any of those impairments are severe enough to be considered disabling. If you have multiple myeloma, it may well come as a shock that the diagnosis alone is not enough to be considered disabled. However, some multiple myeloma patients have found themselves going to SSA exams to investigate their arthritis or hearing loss or depression or other impairment because their multiple myeloma is not severe enough to be considered disabling.

WEIGHT LOSS TABLES

Men

Height Without Shoes (inches)	Weight (pounds)
61	95
62	98
63	100
64	103
65	106
66	109
67	112
68	116
69	119
70	122
71	126
72	129
73	133
74	136
75	139
76	143

Women

Height Without Shoes (inches)	Weight (pounds)
58	82
59	84
60	87
61	89
62	92
63	94
64	97
65	100
66	104
67	107
68	111
69	114
70	117
71	121
72	124
73	128

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