If You Don’t Meet A Listing
If your condition doesn’t meet the listing requirements for your condition, the SSA will look at your symptoms to determine your “mental residual functional capacity” . Your MRFC is the most you can do despite the mental limitations you have. If the SSA decides you don’t have the MRFC to work on a regular and sustained basis, full time, you will be approved for benefits otherwise, you will be denied.
To determine what type of mental capacity you have, Social Security will look at your medical records and any opinions submitted by your psychiatrist or psychologist. You should have a doctor who specializes in mental conditions prepare an MRFC report for you. It is very hard to win a claim based on a mental condition without the support of a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist, and without a detailed report from the psychiatrist or psychologist about your mental limitations and how they limit you.
Social Security will look to see the extent of any limitations you have in the following areas:
- your ability to understand and remember information
- your ability to follow directions and control your behavior
- your ability to get along with others)
- your ability to tolerate stress
- your ability to concentrate, complete tasks, and get work done in an appropriate amount of time
- your ability to adapt to changes, and
- your activities of daily living
The more limitations your mental condition causes, or more severe your limitations are, the more likely you are to get approved for benefits.
Can My Therapist Put Me On Disability
First and foremost, you must have a solid diagnosis from a qualified psychiatric professional before you can qualify for Social Security Disability payments. … Because of this, you should consult with your treating psychiatrist prior to filing a claim for disability benefits with the Social Security Administration.
How Can I Get Disability For Nerve Damage
In order to qualify under this listing, you must be diagnosed with neuropathy that is characterized by tremor, ataxia, paralysis, or involuntary movement in two of your arms or legs, causing you the inability to perform gross motor and fine movements, interfering with your walking and standing abilities.
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Social/psychological Functioning Health And Disability
We created a summary variable for individuals from the 1994, 1995 NHIS-D data to indicate the presence of one or more of six problems in social or psychological functioning: a lot of trouble making or keeping friendships,a lot of trouble getting along with other people in social or recreational settings,a lot of trouble concentrating long enough to complete everyday tasks,serious difficulty coping with day-to-day stresses,frequently confused, disoriented, or forgetful, and have phobias or unreasonably strong fears. The six items concerning social/psychological functioning exhibited satisfactory internal consistency .
We coded self- assessed health as good or better versus fair or poor. Work disability was indicated by reported limitations in kind or amount of work or inability to work. Variables indicating difficulties with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living were based on reported problems with one or more specific activities. Days of restricted activity in the past two weeks represented days of missed work or school, days spent in bed, and other days of reduced activity due to illness or injury.
Qualifying For Ssdi And Ssi With A Mental Health Disorder
If you have a mental health disorder and it can be found in the SSAs Blue Book list, this offers you the chance to be eligible to receive disability benefits.
There are two types of Social Security disability benefits, one is Social Security Disability Benefits or SSDI and the second is Supplemental Security Income or SSI for mental health conditions.
To qualify for SSDI will depend on how many work credits you have accumulated and how old you are. You must have earned at least 40 Social Security credits to qualify for SSDI. You can earn these work credits when you work and pay Social Security taxes. In 2021, to gain one Social Security or Medicare credit you need to earn $1,470 every year. You must earn $5,880 to get the maximum 4 credits per year.
If you dont qualify for SSDI you may be eligible for SSI. To qualify for SSI you need to be at least age 65 or blind or disabled and have the following:
- a limited income which includes wages or pensions, etc.
- have limited resources .
The amount of income you can receive monthly and still get SSI depends partly on where you live.
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Whether You Are Working
Social Security will look at whether you are working, and if so, how much. Social Security can grant you disability benefits if you are unable to work at or over the “substantial gainful activity” level for at least one year. But if you are earning more than that, Social Security will deny your claim without even looking at your medical records.
What Mental Disorders Qualify For Social Security Disability Benefits
The Social Security Administration recognizes several mental disorders that cause long term disability and may entitle the victim to disability benefits. The mental disorders that qualify for benefits can be found in Blue Book section 12.00. There are several categories of mental disorders that the SSA lists. These include the following:
- Substance addiction disorders such as alcoholism and drug addiction including being addicted to prescription drugs
- Somatoform disorders which are mental illnesses which reveal a sickness or injury which may or may not be present
- Psychotic disorders which include schizophrenia and paranoia may automatically qualify the victim for Social Security Disability. Some victims qualify for a Compassionate Allowance which means they are eligible to receive social security benefits as soon as possible
- Personality disorders which are mental illnesses which when they affect people it makes it difficult for them fit in with society as a whole. This can include obsessive-compulsive disorder and passive-aggressive disorder
- Organic mental disorders which include delirium, dementia, and Alzheimers, which affect the nervous system
- Autistic/ Pervasive developmental disorders which are mental disabilities which may affect a number of skills such as communication, cognitive, behavior, and social.
- Anxiety disorders which are so bad that work is impossible
- Affective disorders which are mood disorders which include depression and bipolar.
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Autism And Related Disorders
To qualify for disability benefits with autism or similar pervasive development disorders, you will need to show that the condition limits the ability to communicate, engage in activities outside of a few interests, and interact socially. Further, you must be able to show that these limitations cause significant difficulty in your ability to function in work and social situations.
Navigating The Disability Process: Persons With Mental Disorders Applying For And Receiving Disability Benefits
The Social Security Disability benefit programs constitute an essential safety net for individuals unable to work because of disability. Eligibility for SSDI is based on work history and is viewed as an entitlement for individuals who meet disability criteria. SSI eligibility, however, depends on means testing and, although it is administered as a Social Security program, is seen more as income support for persons with disabilities who have not worked and cannot work. Ideally, such programs seek to provide assistance to those who most need it without encouraging those who can work to leave the workforce or to stop looking for work. The search for balance among meeting need, encouraging work, and containing public expenditures is a source of underlying tension that typifies such safety net programs. Outcomes depend on both the administration of the eligibility process and the processes by which persons and their associates become aware of the disability program, decide to apply, negotiate the application process, and succeed or fail in their attempts.
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Evaluating Mental Disorder Claims Under Social Security Disability
When determining if you have a mental illness, Social Security will review the following evidence to evaluate your mental disorder:
- Evidence from your medical sources, including your physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse practitioner, physician assistant, licensed clinical social worker, and clinical mental health counselors, that includes: your symptoms your medical, psychiatric, and psychological history over the past 15 years the results of your mental status exams, clinical interviews, psychiatric or psychological rating scales, and measures of adaptive functioning psychological testing neurological imaging results laboratory findings your diagnosis the type, dosage, and effects of prescription medications you take the type, frequency, duration, and effects of therapy side effects of your medication, including drowsiness and, information about your sensory or motor abnormalities, if any.
- Evidence from you and people you know regarding your symptoms, daily functioning, and medical treatment.
- Evidence from past employers, schools you attended, and any vocational training you attempted to complete that provides proof that your symptoms impact your ability to stay on task or interact with others. For example, a history of special education or an IEP plan can help prove that youre entitled to Social Security disability benefits.
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Medical Records For A Mental Disability
All disability claims are decided almost solely on the content of the applicant’s medical records. Make sure you include all medical records from providers that gave you care based on the condition. For example:
- records from psychiatrists, psychologist, therapists, counselors, or social workers
- records from hospitalizations or emergency room visits that were the result of your condition, and
- pharmacy records .
Do not include irrelevant records from providers who didn’t treat you for your mental condition
If you don’t have sufficient medical records for Social Security to make a decision, the agency may send you for a psychological evaluation.
Relevant Literature: Receipt Of Benefits
Using data from the Epidemiological Catchment Area Study , Kouzis and Eaton examined predictors of SSDI/SSI receipt. They found that persons who were already receiving benefits at baseline and those who began receiving benefits in the following year had less education and household income than did nonrecipients and were more likely to be male, unmarried, and middle aged . Several clinical measures were associated with greater odds of both receiving benefits at baseline and starting to receive benefits during the study: panic disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the presence of two or more disorders. In contrast, Rosenheck, Dausey, Frisman, and Kasprow did not find differences between clinical variables in homeless mentally ill veterans who were and were not awarded SSDI/SSI benefits.
Segal and Choi looked at differences among three groups of sheltered care residents with a serious mental illness: SSI recipients, nonrecipients believed to be eligible for benefits based on their income, and nonrecipients believed to be ineligible. Results indicated that the income-eligible nonrecipients were younger and had had more education than had the other two groups. The SSI recipients were less likely to be married than were those in the two nonrecipient groups, and they also had fewer hours of recent contact with family and friends.
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Social Security Lawyer For Mental Disability
If a severe mental illness or disorder prevents you from working, you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits. Many people do not realize that these conditions can qualify of SSDI benefits, but mental impairments can be just as debilitating as some physical impairments. Getting your claim for a mental disability approved, however, can be challenging.
Hiring an attorney who is versed in these types of social security disability claims is your best opportunity for a successful result.
Request a FREE Case Evaluation
Qualifying For Benefits With A Mental Disorder
If you meet the nonmedical guidelines to qualify for SSD, you are only part of the way toward qualifying for benefits. You must have a disability that meets the definition used by Social Security.
A disability for purposes of qualifying for SSD is when a medically determinable physical or mental condition prevents a person from engaging in substantial gainful activity. Short-term or partial disability does not satisfy the definition used by Social Security. The impairment must last or be expected to last for at least a continuous 12-month period, or it must be expected to result in the death of the person.
Social Security uses an evaluation process to determine what mental disorders qualify for SSD. It looks at the following during the process:
- The severity of the impairment.
- Whether the impairment meets or equals a mental impairment from the Listing of Impairments, which has been referred to as the âBluebook,â maintained by Social Security.
- Whether, despite the impairment, you can do the type of work you did in the past.
- Whether, despite the impairment, you have the ability, either with or without vocational training, to engage in other types of work.
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Whats Worse Bipolar 1 Or 2
The difference between bipolar 1 and 2, and how to recognize the symptoms. The main difference between bipolar 1 and bipolar 2 is the intensity of manic episodes. Those with bipolar 1 experience more severe mania, whereas people with bipolar 2 may have less intense manic symptoms, and more depressive episodes.
Who Qualifies For Social Security Mental Disability
To qualify for Social Security disability benefits for a mental illness or disorder, you must have a condition that falls within one of the following 11 categories outlined in the SSA Blue Book:
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
- Depressive, bipolar, and related disorders
- Intellectual disorders
- Eating disorders
- Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
Within each category, you must meet criteria unique to that disorder to qualify for Social Security benefits. The conditions for eligibility are a combination of medical, functional, and serious and persistent criteria.
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Somatic Symptom And Related Disorders
Section 12.07s disorders include hypochondria and other psychosomatic disorders where your brain interprets physical sensations as illness, and can actually make your body sick. Proving these disorders is difficult, as many of the sensations the patient experiences are not medically provable and may seem fake. However, the SSA does recognize the disorder and must pay Social Security to patients with real cases of these disorders.
Symptoms include preoccupation with having a physical illness, discomfort, fatigue, and anxiety about your health, as well as physical symptoms that are not faked but have no medical explanation.
Please Answer A Few Questions To Help Us Determine Your Eligibility
About a quarter of applicants for Social Security disability list mental illnesses or disorders as their primary impairment. Depression and anxiety disorders make up the majority of these claims. In addition, applicants make disability claims based on intellectual disability, dementia, schizophrenia, autism, and learning disabilities. While these claims can be difficult to win, you are more likely to be approved if you learn how the Social Security Administration reviews these types of claims and understand the evidence needed to support your claim. While almost half of all mental disability claims are denied at the initial application stage, 75% of those who go on to appeal are eventually approved after appeal.
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Is My Mental Disorder Severe Enough To Qualify As A Disability
If youre suffering from a mental disorder, whether or not its included in the SSAs Listing of Impairments, which are conditions immediately considered severe enough to qualify an applicant for SSDI benefits or SSI, youll need to provide evidence of your disability.
If youre unsure of whether your disorder is severe enough, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does your condition prevent you from working where you used to?
- Does your condition prevent you from learning a new trade?
- Is your condition fatal or expected to last at least 12 months?
If you answered yes to these three questions, you may have a qualifying mental disorder. Make sure your attorney and doctor understand exactly how your condition has affected you and is continuing to affect you today. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Disability Determination will have a psychologist and disability examiner review your application to make sure you meet disability requirements, and having all medical evidence present will significantly support your case.
Contact A Social Security Disability Attorney In Oklahoma City Today
If you cannot work due to a mental illness or disorder, you dont need to feel hopeless. Help is available to you. Contact the mental health Social Security Disability attorneys at Ryan Bisher Ryan & Simons to discuss your eligibility for mental health benefits.
For over 30 years, we have advocated for those living with mental disorders in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas. We could help you navigate the complex process of applying for benefits or appealing if your claim was denied. Reach out to us today for a free case review.
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Fayetteville Arkansas Disability Attorneys
Ken Kieklak, Attorney at Law, is an Arkansas Social Security attorney that fights for disabled Arkansans in the Fayetteville area. Ken can help you file your social security claim based on your mental disorder, physical ailments, handicap, or any other disability. Even if your disorder is not on this list, you may still qualify for Social Security. Call 316-0438 today to schedule a free consultation on your Social Security Disability needs.
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