A single mother in Phoenix with stage 4 kidney cancer that has spread to her lung and the area behind her neck is set to lose her Social Security disability benefits and Medicare at the end of September, after the agency determined she can return to full-time work. Alexis, who has attended 684 medical appointments over four years while battling a cancer that is not in remission, filed an appeal the very next day after receiving the denial.
According to AZ Family, Alexis's cancer began in her kidney before spreading to her lung and behind her neck. She has relied on Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare since summer 2023, coverage that allowed her to focus on medical treatment while working one part-time job and raising her 13-year-old daughter. The Social Security Administration began reviewing her case in January, and in August it sent her a letter stating her health had improved and that she could work, according to the same report.
Alexis and her doctors completed the required paperwork for the review, but a separate medical provider also performed a general physical examination as part of the process. Alexis reported that the provider did not review her medical file before reaching a conclusion, per the station's account. That brief evaluation appears to have factored into the agency's finding that she could return to full-time employment, even though she says her cancer remains active and incurable.
A Legal Standard That Seems at Odds With the Case
Under Social Security Administration Blue Book Listing 13.21, kidney cancer automatically meets federal disability criteria when it is inoperable, unresectable, recurrent, or has metastasized beyond regional lymph nodes to distant organs such as the lungs, according to Cannon Disability Law. The Social Security Administration also designates inoperable, unresectable, or metastatic kidney cancer under its Compassionate Allowances initiative, a fast-track policy meant to speed disability determinations for people with severe, life-threatening conditions, per the agency's own program guidance.
Separately, under Section 223(f) of the Social Security Act and 20 CFR 404.1590, the agency cannot legally terminate disability benefits during a Continuing Disability Review unless substantial evidence proves both medical improvement and an ability to perform substantial gainful activity, according to federal regulations. Alexis maintains that her stage 4 cancer is active and requires ongoing intensive treatment, a position that stands in tension with the agency's finding of medical improvement.
Randi Johnson, an attorney who has worked on similar Social Security Administration cases for 20 years, told AZ Family that mistakes can occur in these cases and that Alexis did the right thing by appealing right away. Johnson also said staying in close contact with the agency throughout the process is important.
The Clock Is Ticking on Alexis's Appeal
Federal regulation 20 CFR 404.1597a requires disability recipients who receive a medical cessation notice to submit a written request for Statutory Benefit Continuation within 10 days of receiving the notice in order to keep monthly checks and Medicare coverage flowing during an appeal, according to the Social Security Administration. Applying the standard five-day mailing presumption gives claimants roughly 15 calendar days from the date on the notice to file Form SSA-792. AZ Family reports that Alexis can keep her insurance while her appeal is pending, though her case could take up to six months to resolve.
If her appeal is ultimately denied, Alexis would be responsible for the cost of medical care received during that period, since Social Security Administration POMS regulations classify payments made during an appeal as an overpayment when a cessation is upheld. That same policy, however, provides for an overpayment waiver if the beneficiary appealed in good faith and fully cooperated with the process, according to the agency's procedures.
Johnson reported that appeals can often be resolved in the claimant's favor, though the waiting period itself can be difficult to endure. Should Alexis's case advance further, disability claimants in Arizona appealing a cessation to the Administrative Law Judge level face average wait times ranging between 8 and 18 months across hearing offices in Phoenix and Tucson, according to Louis Law Group.
Rare Terminations, Rising Reviews
Benefit terminations following a Continuing Disability Review are statistically uncommon. Social Security Administration data published in 2021 shows that about 3% of disabled workers on SSDI and 4% of adult SSI recipients lose benefits following such a review, according to Nolo. Those low rates help explain why a cessation decision involving an active stage 4 cancer patient has drawn attention.
Agency performance reports from 2025 and 2026 show that while the national backlog for initial disability claims dropped to around 950,000 cases, the agency simultaneously expanded its periodic Continuing Disability Review processing, according to Hiller Comerford. Federal rules also require the agency to evaluate all current medical conditions during a review, including new impairments that arose after the original approval — meaning reviewers are obligated to weigh how the spread to Alexis's lung and neck affects her capacity to work, regardless of the outcome of her original kidney surgery.
Alexis has since contacted her congressional representatives, who are trying to help with her case, per AZ Family's reporting. The Social Security Administration declined to comment on the specifics of her situation, citing privacy concerns. For now, Alexis is left waiting to see whether her appeal — or the intervention of her elected representatives — can restore the benefits and Medicare coverage she says have let her survive an incurable diagnosis while raising her daughter.
