Augusta Social Security Disability Benefits
Mental disorders can be just as debilitating as physical impairments, and you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits. However, proving that your mental impairment is severe may be difficult and may require the experience and knowledge of an Augusta social security disability attorney for assistance.
What Is A Mental Impairment?
A mental impairment is any disorder or illness, whether caused by a genetic condition or an accident that is severe enough to affect your ability to work. In order to qualify for disability benefits with a mental impairment, you must show the following:
- Your condition is “severe.”
- You cannot engage in work at the level of “substantial gainful activity.”
- Your condition is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.
Children with a mental impairment do not have to prove they cannot work. They must simply show that their impairment results in marked or severe functional limitations that are expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.
Do Certain Mental Disorders Qualify?
Although any mental impairment that is severe and causes you to be unable to work for at least 12 months may meet the requirements for disability benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) does maintain a listing of impairments. If your condition meets the severity requirements of the listed impairments in Section 12.00 Mental Disorders, then you may automatically qualify for benefits. The following medically diagnosable impairments are included in the Listing of Impairments for Adults:
- Organic mental disorders
- Schizophrenia, paranoia, and other psychotic disorders
- Affective disorders
- Intellectual disabilities
- Anxiety-related disorders
- Somatoform disorders
- Personality disorders
- Substance addiction
- Autism and other developmental disorders
The Listing of Impairments for Children reflects many of the same disorders; however, there are some differences. For example, the following list reflects the impairments in Section 112.00 Mental Disorders for children:
- Organic mental disorders
- Schizophrenic, delusional, and other psychotic disorders
- Mood disorders
- Intellectual disabilities
- Anxiety disorders
- Somatoform, eating, and tic disorders
- Personality disorders
- Psychoactive substance dependence disorders
- Autism and other developmental disorders
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Developmental and emotional disorders of newborn and younger infants
Additionally, an Augusta social security disability attorney comments that if you have an impairment that is not listed, but is as severe as one of those specifically mentioned, you may still qualify for disability benefits.
How Can You Prove Your Mental Disorder is Severe?
You must prove that your mental impairment is severe enough to prevent you from working. You can do this through verifiable evidence that shows you have significant functional limitations. You must have medical evidence and any other information that describes your ability to complete activities of daily living.
Verifiable medical evidence should be documented by a licensed provider through clinical and laboratory tests. Your description of symptoms is not enough to prove that your condition is severe. A licensed provider may include a medical doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other specialist. Providers who do not have a medical license, such as massage therapists and chiropractors, carry little weight with SSA. Notes from those doctors should reflect the results of test, such as MRIs, blood screenings, and mental exams. The more medical evidence you provide, the more likely you are to have a successful disability claim.
You may also prove that you have functional limitations with statements from people who know you well. The SSA is interested in whether you can function in social situations, including with friends, family, and co-workers. Written statements from those individuals may contribute to your proof. If you go to a hearing, you may also want to take someone with you to testify about your limitations.
What You Can Do to Improve Your Chances of Receiving Disability Benefits
The SSA will consider all evidence you present in determining whether you are disabled. Thus, it is important to do the following things to improve your chances of being approved:
- Contact an attorney. The process of filing for Social Security disability benefits can be daunting. A knowledgeable Augusta social security disability attorney can help you understand how to apply and what to do if you are denied.
- Seek medical treatment early and throughout your claim. The SSA will look at your treatment over time to determine your ability to function. Because your testimony alone is not enough to prove that you are disabled, it is important that you have medical evidence showing the onset date of your disability, the severity of symptoms, your ability to function, and the amount of time your impairment is expected to last.
- Keep a diary of your symptoms. Both the SSA and your doctor will need to know the cyclic nature of your mental disorder. Although you may be able to work several days out of the month, you need to document the severity of your symptoms on other days to show that your condition would not allow you to work on a sustained basis. Instead of trying to remember how each day progresses, keep track by writing down what you experience.