Ssi For Ptsd And Anxiety

Is Ptsd A Disability

PTSD can be considered a disability by the SSA if the criteria for Listings 12.15 or 112.15 Trauma- and stressor-related disorders are met by the applicant.

If your symptoms of PTSD are so severe that you are unable to work, the SSA will consider you disabled and you will be able to get disability with PTSD.

For your PTSD to be considered a disability by the SSA, the first thing that you need to do is to meet the medical requirements outlined in the SSAs Blue Book.

The SSAs Blue Book is the list of conditions that the SSA considerers to be disabilities and that qualifies for Social Security disability benefits.

The listing that PTSD can be considered a disability for is under Trauma- and stressor-related disorders, which is in Listing 12.15 in the Blue Book for adults and Listing 112.15 in the Blue Book for children.

Within the sections of the Blue Book listing, applicants need to match sections A and B, or sections A and C in the listing for Trauma- and stressor-related disorders.

If you have PTSD and you can match one of those 2 sections, the SSA can consider you disabled, and you will be able to earn disability benefits with PTSD.

For PTSD to be considered a disability by the SSA, you will need to meet the work requirements outlined by the SSA, as SSDI benefits are for those who at one point could work, but now can no longer because of a disability like PTSD.

Your Ptsd Must Be Severe To Get Social Security

Like any other physical or mental impairment, Social Security will consider whether you have been formally diagnosed with PTSD and whether the symptoms it causes significantly interfere with your ability to work consistently. For individuals under the age of 50, this means demonstrating that all of your physical and mental impairments combined prevent you from being able to consistently perform any job.

Individuals over the age of 50 often only need to prove their combined impairments result in an inability to perform the jobs they have performed in the previous 15 years before they became disabled. Symptoms of PTSD, in severe cases, can independently prevent an individual from being able to consistently work. In less severe cases where PTSD may just be one of many impairments, even mild or moderate PTSD symptoms can be used to demonstrate difficulties with maintaining adequate concentration or meeting the social requirements to perform certain jobs.

Applying For Disability Benefits With A Mental Illness

Mental and psychological disabilities are among the conditions that can qualify for benefits from the Social Security Administration . You may qualify with severe depression, bipolar disorder, an anxiety disorder, or another mental illness that prevents you from maintaining gainful employment.

Social Security disability benefits can cover everyday living expenses, medical bills, and other financial obligations. Benefits are paid monthly and can alleviate many of your financial worries, making it possible for you to get by without income from employment.

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Benefits For Disabled Adults

• Supplemental Security Income

SSDI is available to disabled adult workers who have paid Social Security taxes, while SSI is a need-based program only available to applicants that meet strict limitations on income and asset holdings. If you have never worked due to your mental illness, you will not qualify for SSDI. If you have financial support from friends or family, you will not qualify for SSI.

Showing Severe Impairments Or A Combination Of Impairments

Most people do not meet the criteria for a listing, and so do not automatically qualify for benefits. You can still prove you qualify for benefits by showing your medical condition prevents you from performing a full-time job. You can do this by offering medical records that show your conditions are severe or that you have a combination of impairments that prevent you from working.

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Contact Gillette Law Group

Post-traumatic stress disorder can restrict your work and your life in insidious ways. While it can be difficult to apply for Social Security disability benefits, do not be discouraged. You may truly deserve assistance, and we at Gillette Law Group can help you obtain it. Our service has effectively helped numerous applicants make a successful disability claim, and we can do this for you, too.

Your application or appeal may have a deadline, so talk to us as soon as you can. Your consultation is free. Call us at 873-2604 today.

What Is An Ssri

Essentially, SSRIs increase serotonin in the brain. Neural systems affected by increased serotonin regulate mood, sleep, appetite, and digestion. Not surprisingly, the first drugs designed to affect serotonin levels often caused side effects of drowsiness, weight gain, and nausea. Over time, the medications have been refined to better target only specific serotonin receptors . As newer medications are put into the market – first Prozac, then Celexa, now Lexapro – each generation becomes more and more selective in terms of serotonin receptors targeted. Accordingly, the number of side effects has generally been reduced.

This increased flexibility, or neuroplasticity, does not necessarily mean that anxiety will decrease. What it means is that your brain is more capable of making changes that will lead to a decrease in anxiety. You still need to know what to do to promote anxiety-reducing changes in your brain. Monitoring and changing anxiety-producing thoughts is one way to make changes that will reduce anxiety. Another way is to learn ways to respond effectively in anxiety-provoking situations, rather than to avoid them. The SSRIs can often help a person accomplish these kinds of changes.

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How Someone With A Mental Health Condition Can Qualify For Social Security Disability Benefits

If you have a mental health condition that limits your ability to perform routine daily tasks and keeps you from performing work to earn a living, you may qualify for disability benefits administered by the Social Security Administration . The SSA has two disability programs, Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance . Both programs have strict medical requirements for a claim to be approved.

SSDI vs. SSI

SSDI is a disability program based off your work history. You must have earned enough credits and paid in enough taxes to qualify for benefits. For most people, you must have worked the equivalent of 5 years full-time out of the last 10 years. SSI does not depend on work history, and just so long as you meet the financial criteria, which involve resources and income, you can be approved. You will need to provide supporting documentation for both.

Medically Qualifying for Disability Benefits

The SSA uses a medical guide, which is called the Blue Book, to determine if a claimant qualifies for disability benefits. There is a section in the Blue Book for mental disorders, and it has listings for a variety of conditions, including anxiety-related conditions, psychotic disorders, learning disabilities, depression, and many other mental health issues. Each listing has specific criteria that must be met for the claimant to medically qualify per that specific listing.

Using A Medical Vocational Allowance

Applying For Disability Benefits

Filing For Social Security Disability With An Anxiety Disorder Diagnosis

The Social Security Administration considers anxiety disorders under Section 12.06 of the Blue Book, which covers Mental Disorders.

It can be difficult to claim Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits on the basis of an anxiety disorder diagnosis because the medical evidence supporting the diagnosis is highly subjective and is based on hard-to-document criteria, such as feelings and behavior that occurs outside the doctors office and is reported to the doctor by the patient.

In order to successfully apply for disability benefits due to an anxiety disorder, be sure to present a history of treatment by medical professionals, including both your physician and a qualified mental health professional, in order to show the recurrent or persistent nature of your anxiety disorder.

The SSAs definition of disability is any medically determinable mental or medical impairment that has prevented an individual from performing substantial work for twelve months, is expected to prevent an individual from working for twelve continuous months, or is expected to end with death. Be sure that your medical documentation can thoroughly and specifically demonstrates to the SSA how your disability interferes with your ability to function on a daily basis.

If you apply for disability benefits under Anxiety-Related Disorders, you must meet the conditions of either Paragraphs A and B below, OR the conditions of Paragraphs A and C below.

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How To Apply For Ssdi Benefits For Ptsd

To prove eligibility, the Social Security Administration will review your medical records and take into consideration various types of information related to your PTSD condition. Our legal team can help you work to prove that your mental impairment satisfies the legal requirements to establish entitlement to disability benefits.

Information that will be considered includes:

• When you were diagnosed with a post-traumatic stress disorder
• How long you have been undergoing treatment
• Treatments and prescription medications you are taking
• Other medical conditions you have
• Your expected prognosis

At Coats & Todd, we serve clients throughout the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metro area to help them obtain the disability benefits that they deserve.

To speak to one of our Dallas-Fort Worth Social Security disability attorneys about your case, call our office at 972-671-9922 or contact us online to request an initial consultation.

Characteristics Of Winning Mental Health Disability Claims

Here is what I look for when evaluating a disability claim based on a mental health condition:

As you can see there are many factors that a lawyer will consider when evaluating a case for possible intake. I dont necessary need to see every factor listed above but I hope this article gives you an idea about the degree of severity I look for when deciding whether to accept a case for representation.

You can still win Social Security disability benefits if your ability to work is limited by symptoms of your mental health condition or by medication side effects. However, you need to give SSA decision makers what they need to approve your claim.

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What Are The Steps To Filing A Disability Claim For Mental Health Reasons

First, determine if you are eligible. SSDI is for workers who have contributed to the SSA throughout the life of their careers. Your benefits will be determined by how long you worked and how much you contributed. SSI is a little different. You can qualify for SSI if you are over the age of 65, are legally blind, or are permanently disabled. Another qualifying category for SSI is if you have extremely limited income and resources.Disabledas defined by the SSA, means that you are unable to do any sustainable gainful activity.

Once youve determined your eligibility, you can file online, in person, or by phone. The SSA provides Disability Starter Kits for people to help you get your paperwork right the first time you file. Its important to take advantage of the resources available because this makes it more likely for your claim to be approved.

After you file your claim, it may take up to 18 months or more for your claim to be approved. Often, first claims are met with denial.

The Many Causes Of Ptsd

To qualify for disability benefits for PTSD, you should provide sufficient medical documentation of a stressor event. Some cases of PTSD involve experiencing traumatic events such as physical assaults or muggings, terrorist attacks such as 9/11, natural disasters such as tornados, civil conflicts, or catastrophic events like car crashes or explosions.

Complex cases of PTSD may also involve traumatic and long-term physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, such as:

• Living as a Prisoner of War
• Living and fighting in a war zone
• Surviving concentration/internment camps

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What Are The Other Eligibility Requirements For Ssdi Benefits

Proving that your PTSD is severe enough to be considered a disability is only half of the battle. You will also need to meet the SSAs work credit requirement.

You earn work credits by working and earning income. In 2020, you will be awarded one work credit for every $1,410 of income you earn. But you cannot earn more than four work credits per year regardless of your income.

You must have enough work credits on your record to qualify for SSDI benefits. The number you will need will depend on the age at which you became disabled. But in general, the younger you are, the fewer work credits you will need to qualify.

If you are considered disabled and meet the work credit requirement, the SSA will approve your application for SSDI benefits for PTSD.

What Can I Expect At A Hearing

The third stage of a disability claim is a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. Unlike a typical hearing in court, this is a private and confidential proceeding, there is no opposing attorney, no rules of evidence, and no witnesses. Claimants can expect to find a Judge, a court monitor, and likely a Vocational Expert. The Judge will swear you in, ask about your work history, your medical treatment, and your daily life.

After the hearing, most claimants can expect to get a decision in the mail within two weeks to six months.

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How To Start Your Disability Claim

You can begin your disability application even if you don’t know whether you’re eligible for Social Security disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income . SSDI is for workers who’ve paid enough taxes into Social Security, and SSI is for low-income filers. When you apply for one, you’re automatically applying for both disability programs. You can apply online for Social Security disability benefits for your anxiety disorder. You can complete the online application from anywhere and pause and restart the process as often as necessary. You can also call the SSA at 800-772-1213 to set up an appointment to apply for disability by phone or at your local Social Security office. When you fill out your application, include a detailed description of what an episode of intense anxiety looks like for you. Be sure to include:

• how often you have them and
• how they impair your ability to work.

If you have both an anxiety disorder and a physical impairment that keeps you from working, your case could be more complicated. You should consider hiring a disability lawyer to help you file your claimespecially if you aren’t sure whether your condition matches a listing. A lawyer can also help with your appeal if your initial claim gets denied.

Is Anxiety Considered A Disability

Anxiety disorders, such as OCD, panic disorders, phobias or PTSD are considered a disability and can qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Those with anxiety can qualify for disability if they are able to prove their anxiety makes it impossible to work. You must submit evidence showing your anxiety disorder matches the SSA’s Blue Book requirements.

An anxiety disorder is a condition characterized by persistent feelings of apprehension, tension, or uneasiness. For those who are truly disabled on the basis of such a disorder, these feelings are not simply nervousness, but rather overwhelming feelings of alarm and even terror that can be provoked by ordinary events or situations occurring in everyday life.

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The Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety

Depression and anxiety are terrible afflictions that can completely turn your life on its head. There are treatments for these illnesses, however often they become long, drawn out intervention plans that may not be completely effective. Dealing with such medical problems can be overwhelming, and adding financial pressures because of lost time at work or medical costs just make the situation worse. Nonetheless, there could be help in the way of payments to you through the Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income programs, both administered by the Social Security Administration.

Depression is the most common not-imminently fatal medical condition leading to disability in America. The World Health Organization has identified depression as the number one cause of disability in the world with over 300 million sufferers. Depression causes a person to feel a significant state of sadness, guilt, inadequacy, dejection, and despondency. Along with such feelings there may be insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleep, lack of energy, reduced or no sexual desire, and appetite loss or excessive eating.

Depression Disability Benefit Programs

Finding yourself in this situation may seem hopeless, but it isnt. There is the hope of solving the problem. The SSDI is a certified program created to support individuals going through the tough phase. The program doesnt cater to every person battling depression, not unless you fit the criterion used.

When you qualify to receive some benefits if your depression leads to disability, you and your family members receive benefits once you enroll in the program. Supplemental Security Income covers adults and children with less financial capabilities and resources.

Even though the two programs work separately, their main aim is to assist individuals with disabilities, and depression disability is included. If you plan to apply to the program, do your research and know what is required during application to smoothen the process.

The medical requirements for both programs are the same. For the non-medical criterion, you are entitled to monthly benefits if your medical condition lasts a year or longer and if the illness may lead to death.

The requirements for enrollment in disability programs include:

• Inability to work due to depression.
• Assets are lower than $2000 worth.
• Spouses also have insufficient support, and combining you and your spouses assets should be lower than $3000 in total.
• Your depression should be considered severe to be a disability.
• You cannot work based on your current condition, age, disability, and work history.

• Supplemental Security Income

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