More than 40 million adults in the United States must get through each day living with excessive nervousness, a sense of impending doom, and other symptoms caused by an anxiety disorder. If you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that prevents you from working, you may qualify for anxiety disability benefits through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs.
Getting disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA) even with an anxiety diagnosis is not easy. Two-thirds of the applications Social Security receives and processes each year are denied for several different reasons, including failing to meet the strict guidelines used to determine whether a person is, in fact, disabled as defined under federal regulations.
There are different ways to meet the disability standard and qualify for SSI or SSDI. An anxiety disability benefits lawyer at Disability Partners, PLLC, has the knowledge and experience to give you the best opportunity to obtain the benefits that you are entitled to receive by assisting you through the initial application determination process or with outstanding representation during the disability appeal process.
The SSA maintains a Listing of Impairments that are severe enough to satisfy the standards of the “disability” definition that it uses to review your application and determine whether you are disabled. Anxiety is a listed impairment.
The Listing of Impairments includes criteria that you have to meet and document through medical records for each impairment. For anxiety, the listing criteria is split into three sections. The listing has three paragraphs of requirements that you must meet with the paragraphs designated “A,” “B,” and “C.”
You must have one of the criteria of paragraph “A,” which include the following:
Paragraph “B” requires that the condition in paragraph “A” must cause at least two of the following:
Paragraph “C” requires that the conditions in paragraph “A” result in a very limited ability to adapt to things that are not already a part of your day-to-day routine.
A finding of disability based on the listing requires you to meet the criteria for paragraphs “A” and “B” or “A” and “C.” If you do not meet the listing criteria, you may still qualify for benefits through other requirements.
If you cannot meet the requirements of the Listing of Impairments, you may qualify with the proof that you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity. The impairment must be expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death.
You also must not be able to do any type of work that you did in the past, and you cannot transition to doing another type of available work. When evaluating your ability to do work other than what you’ve done in the past, consideration is given to your age, education, training, and the limitations caused by your medical condition.
If you have been diagnosed with anxiety, an anxiety disability benefits lawyer at Disability Partners, PLLC, can evaluate your claim to determine whether you qualify for SSI or SSDI. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and claim assessment.