NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2017 - 31

If an individual is receiving hospice
care, they might be eligible for Social
Security benefits. The Social Security
Administration (SSA) offers monthly
resources for people in need who will
be out of work for at least 12 months,
or have a condition that's terminal.
Anyone in hospice care will
automatically meet these technically
requirements, meaning they and
their eligible family members could
receive financial aid that can be used
for medical bills, hospice care
expenses not covered, rent or a
mortgage, groceries, car payments, or
any other daily living needs.

Medically Qualifying for
Social Security Benefits
The SSA uses its own medical guide
known as the Blue Book to
determine if a person's condition is
"disabling" enough to qualify. If a
condition prevents him/her from
earning $1,170 per month in 2017
($1,180 in 2018), they will qualify.
There are many conditions listed in
the Blue Book that often require
hospice care. Some qualifying
conditions include, but are certainly
not limited to:
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Advanced cancer
ALS
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease
Heart failure
Liver disease
Stroke

Each condition will have different
qualification criteria. For example,
an ALS diagnosis always qualifies.
On the other hand, women with
breast cancer will need to have

cancer that has spread to distant
organs or to the collar bone/sternum
to qualify. The entire Blue Book is
available online, so patients can
review the resource with their
doctors to determine where they
qualify. Keep in mind that nearly
every patient in hospice care will
have a condition that's "severe"
enough to qualify.

Age and Disability Benefits
The vast majority of people qualify
for Social Security Disability
Insurance, or SSDI. These benefits
are only available to adults who have
worked throughout life but have not
reached their "full retirement age."
This means that if they are already
receiving Social Security retirement
benefits, they cannot qualify for
additional disability benefits on top
of the retirement payments.
If they have been diagnosed with a
serious illness and recently entered
hospice care between the ages of 62
and 64, it's always advisable to apply
for SSDI benefits before applying for
early retirement. The person's
monthly SSDI payments will be
locked into what they would have
earned after retiring on time,
meaning SSDI payments are always
higher than early retirement benefits.

If an individual qualifies
for SSDI benefits, their
family could receive
additional assistance
as well.

Parties Eligible for Addition
al Assistance
If an individual qualifies for SSDI
benefits, their family could receive
additional assistance as well. These
are known as "auxiliary benefits."
Dependents who can receive
auxiliary benefits include:

Winter 2017 | NHPCO NewsLine

31

https://www.ssa.gov/disability/ https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/1943.html https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/ https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/glossary/auxiliary-benefits https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/disabling-conditions/breast-cancer

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Winter 2017