A lot of people in this world are suffering from anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or certain phobia. The daily life of those who are suffering from this can be affected. While the level may vary, in severe cases, it can affect people to the point they are unable to work.
Talking about anxiety disorder and inability to work, you may be wondering if it is possible for the people who are suffering from the anxiety disorder to get a disability check for anxiety. Make sure to read the full post to find out the answer to the question.
Definition of Anxiety Disorder
An anxiety disorder is defined as a condition when someone worries too much about something or someone. This feeling is intense and causes uneasiness. It can be worse than only simply nerves or nervousness. In worse cases, it can include overwhelming feelings of alarm and even terror that can be triggered by ordinary events or situations that happen every day.
A disability is described by the Social Security Administration or SSA as 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. It is the reason why it is important for you to have documentation that can show your disability affects your daily life and makes you unable to work.
There are several types of anxiety that qualify for disability, including:
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- General anxiety disorder: This one is a condition to describe having too much worries for anything. It usually lasts long, at least a half year.
- Panic disorder: It is a repetitive behavior that is usually done to minimize or control symptoms of anxiety, such as recurrent thoughts or impulses.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD: This one refers to repeated attacks of anxiety. It can last for a maximum of 10 minutes. Unfortunately, no one knows the cause.
- Phobias: It is the feeling of having overwhelming, irrational, and involuntary fears of things, places, common situations, or events.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: This is the worst stress symptom. It can happen due to being a witness or a cause of a traumatic event. It can last more than a month.
Possibility to Get a Disability Check for Anxiety
For anyone who is wondering if it is possible to get a disability check for anxiety, the short answer to the question is yes. You can get a disability check for anxiety. In case you are wondering about the amount, the average one for anxiety and other mental disorders used to be $1,343.88 in 2022. Apparently, the disability payment for SSDI is up to $3,822 each month if you qualify for benefits with anxiety. As for the SSI, the maximum payment of this year is $943 per month.
Keep in mind that these numbers mentioned above are based on the law and it is the same for every condition. It means the payments will be the same, regardless of the conditions. Basically, even though you are qualified under a different disability or have more than one condition, the payments will remain the same. In addition, it should be remembered that the amount of the disability check may be different from one to another depending on a few things, including work record, income sources, and value of the assets. Plus, you can get SSDI and SSI at the same time.
Getting Disability for Anxiety
In order to qualify for disability benefits due to anxiety, you must show proof of your anxiety disorder. Aside from that, you also need to do the followings:
1. Prove that you have an anxiety disorder
For those who are suffering from an anxiety disorder, it is a must for you to medically prove that you have a minimum of three of the symptoms such as muscle tension, irritability, restlessness, sleep disturbance or difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, difficulty to concentrate, and become easily tired.
If the type of your anxiety disorder is obsessive-compulsive disorder, you must engage in repetitive or ritualistic behavior to minimize your anxiety or have an involuntary or part-time consuming preoccupation with the thoughts that you do not want.
If the type of your anxiety disorder is panic disorder or phobia, you must have experience regular panic attacks, worry about another panic attacks and negative consequences of such a attack or you have experienced fear or anxiety about a minimum of two different situations, including waiting in a line, being in a crowd, being outside home, using public transportation, or being in open spaces.
2. Prove that your anxiety disorder prevents you from working full-time
There are a total of four key areas of your mental functioning that will be considered by the SSA, as follows:
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- The ability to understand, remember, or apply information
- The ability to communicate with other people
- The ability to stay focus on task at a sustained rate
- The ability to adapt to changes or to manage
If you have extreme limitations, you may not be able to do a lot of things by yourself, even basic things. While there is no need for you to document every example of how your anxiety disorder affects your mental functioning, you have to show the proof that your life is clearly affected by the anxiety disorder.
3. Prove that your anxiety disorder is serious and has been around for at least two years
Proving to the SSA that your anxiety disorder is serious can be done through medical records showing three things, as follows:
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- You have been suffering from anxiety disorder for at least two years.
- You are currently receiving medical treatment to minimize or get rid of the symptoms of anxiety disorder.
- Even though you are currently receiving treatment, you are still unable to adapt to changes in your environment or to new things that are not part of your daily life.
To meet this criteria, persistent care plays a big role. If you do not get intensive or consistent care or if there is a time when you do not follow the treatment, do not get surprised if your benefits claim gets denied by SSA.
Next Things to Do
These are the criteria for disability benefits. If your anxiety disorder meets all the things above, you can apply for disability benefits. Make sure to do it as soon as possible because the process is pretty long. If you are not sure if you meet all the requirements for disability, you are suggested to take quiz that can be found at https://www.atticus.com/disability-benefits/get-help/survey/landing/b?utm_source=atticus-content&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=61. If the result shows that you qualify, you can also contact an experienced disability lawyer to help you find out what type of disability benefits you are applying for.
In case your anxiety does not meet the criteria for disability benefits, it is still possible for you to apply for disability benefits as long as you are able to prove that you are unable to work due to your anxiety disorder. However, it will not be easy because the chance of your initial application to be denied is high because you do not meet all the SSA criteria mentioned above. In this case, please do not give up. There is always a way. For example, you can appeal so that you will be able to submit new medical evidence and better argue your case in court. At this level, the chance of you to win is higher compared to before.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, it is possible for you to get a disability check for anxiety. All that you have to do is to prove that your anxiety disability is real and has prevented you from doing your things. If you are curious about the disability payment for SSDI, it is up to $3,822 each month for those who qualify for benefits with anxiety. As for the SSI, the payment is up to $943 per month.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
