CAN I GET SOCIAL SECURITY FOR PTSD....?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is evaluated by Social Security under Section 12.06, Anxiety Related Disorders.

PTSD occurs after seeing or experiencing a traumatic event like death, injury, accident, rape, abuse, natural disaster, war or etc.  PTSD was first associated with soldiers coming out of combat in war zones.  Now, it is recognized that there are also many other causes for PTSD.

To award benefits, Social Security will want proof of nearly extreme anxiety or emotional disturbance creating flashbacks, bad memories, nightmares, etc.  Ideally, these severe symptoms should be documented by either a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist.  While a family doctor (primary care doctor) may treat PTSD, Social Security tends to give more weight to a mental health professional or specialist.

There are two ways to be approved by Social Security for PTSD:

One is to meet Listing 12.06.  Few people have symptoms severe enough to meet the Listing.

A second way is by a medical-vocational allowance.  The idea here is to prove that your symptoms, while not meeting the severity of a Listing, prevent you from performing any significant gainful work.  Factors that would be considered would include:
  • fatigue
  • poor sleep patterns
  • difficulty concentrating or staying focused
  • poor memory
  • difficulty responding to co-workers, supervisors or others
  • trouble making simple work related decisions
  • the inability to adapt to normal workplace stressors
I can't emphasize how important it is to seek medical evaluation and treatment for PTSD.  Again, seeing a mental health professional is recommended.  You might want to consider a mental health clinic or mental health center if you do not have insurance that will pay for a psychiatrist.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A PLAN TO WIN YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY APPEAL

Having a plan or strategy is very important to winning your Social Security disability appeal. Judges have very limited time to spend on a case.  They are required to issue up to 700 decision a year, or over 50 per month.  One case may have thousands of pages of medical records and other documents to review.  Your attorney or representative can help the judge, and your chance of winning, by pointing out what the judge needs to know. Is this claimant insured for benefits? What kind of past work did the claimant do? Does he or she meet a Listing or grid rule? Are there any transferable skills? Does the medical record support the alleged onset date?  If so, where?  These are things the judge must know to decide the claim.  A good representative will read and analyze the medical records, which are the foundation of every case.  The important evidence will be pointed out to the judge.  Are there MRIs or imaging studies to prove the alleged ...
Read more

SOCIAL SECURITY FOR DISABLED VETERANS

Veterans who have served years in the armed forces often leave the service with a myriad of physical and behavioral impairments.  Common physical problems include back, joint, knee, hip and foot issues which make it difficult to sustain work.  Psychological or behavioral issues include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression or a combination of these. Military personnel pay into the Social Security disability program during their years in uniform.  If they leave the military with serious impairments, they are entitled to VA disability benefits and Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits.   Some things you should know about  SSDI benefits: 1.  You must apply to Social Security separately.  It's a totally different process than the VA benefits. 2.  The rules for SSDI benefits are similar to the rules for VA disability; however, they are not the same.  For instance, the VA may give you a partial disability; how...
Read more

CAN YOU CONVINCE A JUDGE THAT YOU ARE DISABLED?

Most disability benefits today happen because the claimant convinces a judge that he or she is not able to work.  This is particularly true for claimants under the age of 50. How do you convince a judge? Good medical evidence is the key .  Review the doctor's records in your Social Security file and see what they say.  If they don't support severe medical problems, you probably don't have a case. Writing down your symptoms can be useful.  Start with the ones that you feel would keep you from performing 8 hours of work each day. Assess you areas of physical and mental function .  How long can you sit and stand without pain?  If you were working, what would your lifting maximum be, in terms of pounds?  Any problems with posturals:  bending, crouching, kneeling, etc.? Think about how your last job ended .  If you stopped working for any reason besides a medical impairment, it sends the wrong message to Social Security.  If you we...
Read more