When Can I Claim Disability Benefits for Anxiety?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) runs two disability benefits programs:
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is for people who have been working and paying into Social Security. Recipients can also qualify for Medicare coverage after a 24-month waiting period.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients don’t need to have a significant work history because this is a need-based program. Individuals applying can’t have more than $2,000 in countable assets, while couples applying for SSI are limited to $3,000 in financial resources.
The work and financial requirements for these programs are different, but Social Security’s definition of disability remains the same whether you apply for SSDI or SSI.
You need to show that your health will prevent you from working any job for 12 months or more.
These benefits aren’t for people who can switch jobs or take temporary time off to recover from a medical condition.
Social Security uses specific criteria to evaluate anxiety disability claims.
With an anxiety disorder, you’ll have to meet the first qualification below AND either the second OR third qualification:
1. You show three or more of the following symptoms:
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Muscle tension
- Irritability
- Sleep disturbances
2. You have an extreme limitation or a distinct limitation in two of the following:
- Understanding, remembering and applying information
- Concentrating and staying on task
- Adapting to circumstances or managing yourself and your emotions
- Interacting with others
3. Your anxiety disorder is serious and persistent, meaning that:
- You have evidence that this disorder has lasted at least two years
- Treatment is ongoing
- You have a minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment
A claims examiner won’t just take your word about your symptoms being this severe. You’ll need plenty of evidence.
Our Lehi and St. George disability lawyers can tell you more about what the SSA looks for and how you can make your anxiety disability claim more convincing.
How to Prove Your Anxiety Disability Claim
When you apply for disability benefits, Social Security needs to see that your anxiety is more than an inconvenience.
The more evidence you can provide about your symptoms, the easier it is to claim disability benefits.
Some items that can help include:
- A diagnosis from a mental health professional
- Detailed therapy records
- Results of psychological testing and functional evaluations
- Information about treatments you’ve tried
- Evidence that you’ve stuck to prescribed treatment plans
- A list of prescription medications you’re taking, their dosages, their effects and side effects
- Evidence that you’ve needed accommodations at work, like reduced hours or extra breaks, as a result of your anxiety symptoms
- Statements from friends, family members and coworkers who have witnessed your health struggles firsthand
A Utah Social Security Disability lawyer can help you sort through your evidence and identify anything that can strengthen your anxiety SSDI claim.
What Should I Do If I’m Denied Disability Benefits for My Anxiety?
Even if you think that you have enough evidence and that your anxiety disability claim should obviously be approved, you can still get denied.
Most people get denied on their initial applications, and it can be especially difficult to get approved for benefits with an ailment like anxiety. Mental health issues are often tougher for people to understand and evaluate.
This means that, for many people claiming Social Security Disability benefits for anxiety, the real fight begins at the appeals stage after you’ve been denied.
Here’s what you need to do:
Step #1: Review your denial letter.
Social Security may give you reasons why your anxiety disability claim was unsuccessful.
Your claim could be denied disability benefits because you don’t have enough medical evidence. You could be denied because you missed a deadline or have too much in earnings or assets.
Whatever the reasons for your Social Security Disability denial, you need to understand them and know how to address them when you appeal.
Step #2: Boost your evidence.
Even if your anxiety disability claim wasn’t denied for lack of evidence, now’s a great time to update, organize and add to your records.
Your latest financial records, new notes about your treatments, and an updated assessment from your doctor can all be helpful on appeal.
Step #3: Talk to a Utah disability lawyer.
When you file your appeal, we recommend having a Utah disability lawyer help you.
You have 60 days to request reconsideration, the first stage of appeals, and it’s tough to work under a tight deadline when you’re worried about money and dealing with a work-stopping medical issue.
We can help with the paperwork and find ways to strengthen your anxiety disability claim. You focus on your health while our team focuses on getting you the benefits you deserve.
If you get denied again in the reconsideration stage, we’ll help you prepare for your disability hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ).
Even if you applied on your own or worked with someone else before you got denied benefits, Barnes Disability Advocates can assist you with your appeal.
We’ve helped thousands of people like you in Lehi, St. George, Salt Lake City, and across the state of Utah.
We take on tough cases that other firms won’t, including difficult-to-describe-and-document claims for anxiety disorders.
Do You Want to Know More About Our Disability Lawyers in Utah?
Barnes Disability also helps with long-term disability claims when you have a private insurance policy to protect your finances if you lose the ability to work. Our disability attorneys have decades of experience and a mission to help everyday people find peace and dignity in difficult times.
