Can I Get Disability For Depression And Anxiety

Rule 1# Returning To Work Along With Ssdi Benefits:

If you return to work while receiving the SSID benefits, SSA will consider your case as engaging in substantial gainful activities, but there is only one exception given the trial work period. This trial period allows a person to return to work without losing the benefits of SSDI. According to this exception, you can work up to 9 months despite how much you can earn.

Read Up On How Social Security Evaluates Disability Claims Based On Generalized Persistent Anxiety Phobias Panic Attacks Obsessive

Social anxiety and other anxiety disorders can be socially limiting at best but at worst can be so disruptive to a person’s life that it becomes impossible to work. Anxiety disorders involving phobias, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder , obsessive-compulsive disorder , and generalized anxiety can qualify for Social Security disability benefits if they are well documented and severely debilitating. If you’ve been diagnosed with one of the above disorders and it affects your ability to leave the house, function socially, concentrate, or manage the tasks of daily living, you may be eligible for disability benefits.

Some people claim they have anxiety, nervousness , or phobias, but their symptoms are unfortunately a part of modern, stressful life. To qualify for Social Security disability benefits for an anxiety disorder, you have to be able to show that your symptoms are chronic and that they meet one of several specific medical diagnoses related to anxiety and that they severely and negatively impact your ability to function in life. In order to suss out cases of anxiety disorders that are truly preventing someone from doing any kind of work, the SSA has developed a list of requirements that your anxiety disorder must fit into.

Medical Opinions About Your Depression Or Bipolar Disorder

You will need a statement from your treating doctor or a psychologist regarding the severity of your depression. For example, your doctor might give an opinion that you would miss several days of work each month due to your depression. Make sure the doctor provides an explanation for this opinion.

Continue to see your doctor or therapist during the waiting process for benefits so that you can amass a long treatment history in your medical records. The SSA cannot easily deny the opinion of a therapist who has consistently found you to have a severe mental disorder and who has clinical signs supporting this opinion. If you cannot afford to see a doctor or therapist on a regular basis, the SSA may send you to a consultative examination with a psychologist. For more information, see Nolo’s article on getting a doctor’s report for disability.

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Launching A Disability Claim

You can call the SSA directly on 800-772-1213 to book an appointment or fill out their online application for disability benefits.

As you fill the application, ensure to include a detailed description of how your depression and anxiety affect your daily life, your inability to concentrate and your social functioning.

You can also add information on the inability to complete allocated tasks, follow directions/instructions and how you have episodes of worsening symptoms.

If you have both physical impairment and depression that hinders you to work completely, consider hiring a disability lawyer to assist you to file your SSA disability claim.

Getting Your Doctor’s Support

Make sure that you have your treating physician prepare a mental residual functional capacity form on your behalf. A mental RFC is a detailed report that discusses how your anxiety and depression affect your pain thresholds and your ability to do certain job functions. Your attorney will use the mental RFC to create hypothetical questions designed to counter the VE’s testimony.

Although any doctor can prepare a mental RFC for you, the SSA will give more weight to a doctor who specializes in treating mental illness. Therefore, you should make sure to seek the help of a psychiatrist or psychologist in the treatment of your anxiety or depression.

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What Are Counted As Resources

Lets start by whats NOT counted. The following items are NOT counted when SSA computes your resources:

• Any back benefits you will receive as a result of your favorable decision
• The home you live in and the land it is on, if its your primary residence
• Your household goods and personal effects
• One vehicle, regardless of its value, if it is used as transportation
• Grants, scholarships, fellowships, or gifts set aside to pay educational expenses, for a limited period of time after receipt
• Burial spaces and burial funds, up to a certain limit
• Life insurance policies, up to a certain limit
• Property thats essential to supporting yourself

WHAT DOES COUNT:

There are additional items that are NOT counted these are the most common.

Is It Normal To Have Anxiety And Depression

Not so fast. Its normal to have ups and downs or to have things youre concerned about. You might be going through a difficult time. Your doctor can help you figure out if its actually a condition and what would help. Depression and anxiety are like flip sides of the same coin, says therapist Nancy B. Irwin, PsyD.

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Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits

EI sickness benefits are a temporary disability benefit. They are paid through the federal governments employment insurance program. EI pays 55% of your salary for 15 weeks.

To qualify, you must have paid into the EI program recently. You pay through deductions from your paycheque. These are automatic. So, if you got an official paycheque, you paid into the EI program.

You apply for EI benefits online through Service Canada. You can apply from home or at any Service Canada office. Your doctor needs to fill out a form to confirm that you cant work for the 15 weeks that EI covers. And finally, your employer will need to issue a Record of Employment to confirm your sick leave.

Please note: If you qualify for short-term disability, then you cant claim EI benefits at the same time.

You can learn more about EI by visiting our article on the EI sickness benefits program.

Those Diagnosed With Severe Anxiety Disorder Ptsd Or Ocd May Be Able To Get Disability Benefits

By Bethany K. Laurence, Attorney

While many individuals claim they are affected by anxiety or stress, an anxiety disorder is a mental condition in which extreme feelings of worry and fear control everyday actions. Only when you experience severe symptoms of anxiety that affect your ability to function at work and at home can you be eligible for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration . Symptoms of an anxiety disorder include an inability to concentrate, avoidance of certain situations, fear of crowds, or feelings of panic. Many people experience an abnormal level of worry and concern, sweating, feeling faint, dry mouth, muscle tension, and hypervigilance.

To be considered for disability benefits due to an anxiety disorder, Social Security requires medical evidence that you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and that as a result of this condition you have been unable to work for at least 12 months. Based on your current income and work history, you may apply for Social Security Disability and/or Supplemental Security Income benefits.

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Consideration Of Your Residual Functional Capacity

If the SSA says you don’t meet the disability listing, the SSA will consider what you can do. It does this by writing up your mental residual functional capacity . An MRFC is a description of what tasks you can do in a work setting it explains your communication skills, your ability to relate to others, your ability to speak to the public, and whether you can be reliable in showing up to work.

For instance, say you have bipolar disorder and there is evidence in your medical records that you have moderate impairment in your social functioning caused by mood swings and you have a moderate level of difficulty with concentration. Your RFC might look like the following: you have no limitations in walking/standing/sitting, you are unable to work with the public, and you are limited to simple 1-2 step instructions. This RFC would prevent you from working in many occupations, but you still would not be found disabled since there are simple unskilled jobs that do not require working with the public. Read more about how the SSA makes this decision in our article on how the SSA evaluates an RFC for disability.

Anxiety And Depression Can Cause Non

If you apply for disability for a physical condition that limits your strength or ability to walk, the SSA will decide what level of work you can do, as in heavy, medium, light, or sedentary work. If you have a moderate physical disability that limits your ability to lift heavy items, you might be restricted to medium or light work, but that’s no guarantee of disabilty benefits.

But when considering whether you are actually able to work, the SSA must also evaluate any non-exertional impairments you have. Non-exertional impairments are those that relate to non-strength related work activities such as the ability to focus, concentrate, get along with others, and be reliable. Many people with moderate anxiety and depression experience these kinds of non-exertional impairments. For more information, see our article on how non-exertional impairments can help you win your claim.

Just because your mental health issues aren’t considered severe doesn’t mean that they can’t affect your ability to do a wide range of jobs. Having non-severe mental health issues other than anxiety or depression can also increase the chances of winning a disability claim, when added to a physical impairment. For more information, see our article on when combining severe and non-severe impairments leads to disability benefits.

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Qualifying For Disability Based On Reduced Functional Capacity

If you don’t qualify under the SSA’s requirements for major depression, above, the SSA will next consider your depression symptoms and to what extent they impair your ability to do the usual activities of daily living, and if there is any kind of work you can be expected to do. The SSA will give you a rating of the type of work it thinks you can do . This is called your residual functional capacity , and in the case of depression, it’s called a mental RFC rather than a physical RFC.

If the SSA finds that you can do at least unskilled work, as is likely if you didn’t meet the official listing above, you won’t be granted benefits. But if the SSA finds that you cannot perform even unskilled work , the SSA might grant you benefits under a “medical-vocational allowance.” However, most claimants applying for disability benefits for depression either qualify under the official listing or don’t qualify at all.

But if you have any type of physical impairment in addition to depression, this can change. For example, if you get a mental RFC for unskilled work and a physical RFC for sedentary work, there might be few jobs you can do in this category, and you might be able to qualify for benefits under a medical-vocational allowance.

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How To Prove A Depression Disability Claim

Because depression is largely an invisible illness, doctors cant verify the seriousness of your symptoms. You will have trouble getting approved for benefits.

No one but you can say how serious your condition is. Disability benefits providers may view your claims with skepticism. After all, you could exaggerate or lie to appear more disabled than you are.

Many people with depression can manage their symptoms medications and continue working. So, you need to focus on proving that your case is different. Lets go over how to do that.

Showing Reduced Productivity Due To Moderate Depression

Another way to win your claim for disability is to prove that your moderate depression or anxiety, when combined with your severe physical impairment, will result in a 20% reduction in your productivity in the workplace.

You or your attorney can present this argument at the hearing level by discussing the combined side effects of your medications. For example, most anxiety and depression medications can cause fatigue, insomnia, headaches, or restlessness. Pain medication can likewise cause difficulty in thinking and concentration, along with excessive sleepiness. During your hearing, your attorney and the administrative law judge will ask you questions to determine the extent of how the medications affect you. Examples of these questions are:

• Do you watch television? If so, can you watch an entire one-hour show?
• Do you like to read? If so, do you read magazines or books?
• How many hours do you sleep at night?
• Do you sleep during the day?
• What time do you go to bed during the day? What time do you wake up?
• Are you able to drive when you take your medications?
• Have you tried any other medications?
• Do you pay your bills or does someone help you?

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How Can You Get Ssdi For Depression Criteria To Qualify

The SSDI application will benefit you if you have been struggling with depression for a year or longer, and you are unable to work as before. Mental health disorders are added to the list of medical conditions that qualify you for the benefits. These mental conditions include depression, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and bipolar disorder.

To qualify for the SSDI, you must experience a minimum of at least five symptoms of depression listed above. You should also have at least one of the following:

• You cannot comprehend information dished to you, interact with others, have the right concentration, and take care of yourself. To qualify, you must be experiencing a minimum of two of the listed symptoms.
• Your depression is considered a disability if your medical records indicate that your symptoms have been persistent. You have been receiving treatment for depression for at least two years.
• You should also be having a hard time adapting to your new lifestyle of living with depression as a disability and adapting to the new set routine.

To have more credit, you should have worked before and paid for your Social Security. The credits are based on your annual net income. If you are not confident whether you qualify for the SSDI, you can contact the administration to confirm your eligibility.

According to the SSDI, you can qualify for exclusive monthly benefits or instead get a medical-vocational allowance.

For you to receive medical funding, the following are needed: