Social Security Disability for PTSD
When applying for Social Security disability benefits with a diagnosis of PTSD there are some unique aspects of these
particular claims.
I will discuss how SSA handles posttraumatic stress disorder in an SSD or SSI claim. I
will also talk about lawyers for SSDI PTSD claims. You will also find on this page some reasons why some of these disability
claims can be difficult and I will give you helpful tips to give you a better chance to win your benefits.
SSD Lawyer for PTSD
So how does the Social Security Administration handle posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) claims? To answer this you
must first understand
how Social Security determines if you are disabled. It is a five step process which I explain on the page that is linked in the previous sentence. First of all, unless
the claimant is a veteran and treated by a VA doctor this diagnosis tends to be under diagnosed. This is because civilian
doctors and SSA doctors are not confronted with PTSD on a daily basis like VA doctors are. To make my point you only have
to look at the Social Security medical listings of impairments for mental conditions and you will not see the words posttraumatic
stress disorder or PTSD. This does not mean you cannot meet or equal the
Social Security medical listings for PTSD. You should look at the list of mental disorders and see if you feel you may meet or equal any of these listings. If you
think you might, take a copy of the entire medical listings for psychiatric conditions to your psychiatrist to get his or
her opinion. It is important that if they feel you meet or equal one of the listings that they state which one, why and point
to the medical evidence that supports it. If you read my page on how Social Security determines if you are disabled
you will know that you do not have to meet or equal a listed impairment to be found disabled. I will talk about that
a little later on this page. Another difficulty with posttraumatic stress disorder claims is that many times those suffering
from the condition often self medicate with drugs or alcohol. This is troublesome in a Social Security disability claim because
you cannot be awarded Social Security disability benefits based on drug and alcohol addiction. So, to be successful in a PTSD
claim for an individual with a drug or alcohol problem and you must be able to separate the individuals limitation caused
by drug and alcohol use from the symptoms caused by PTSD that prevent the claimant from working. So if this is your situation,
it is extremely important that your doctor explain what your limitations are from your posttraumatic stress disorder and separate
that from the limitations caused by the drugs or alcohol. PTSD is largely thought of as a psychiatric condition of veterans
but non-veterans can experience traumatic events that can cause PTSD which may cause the same or similar symptoms as veterans
who suffer from PTSD. Non-military traumatic events can include car accidents, natural disasters, fires, and sexual assault
just to name a few. Many people who suffer from PTSD are often misdiagnosed as suffering from other forms of anxiety, depression
or other mental disorders.
Many times those applying for disability may have PTSD and this may only be part of their
claim, and by itself may not prevent the individual from working. However, even if the claimant's post traumatic stress disorder
is not disabling by itself in many cases it may be combined with other medical conditions to show an overall picture of disability.
An example of a common claim of this sort is an individual who was in a serious car accident and has numerous physical injuries
and also has symptoms of PTSD due to the traumatic experience of the accident itself. Social Security will look at all
your medical conditions combined to determine if you are disabled so you will want to get your doctors opinion evidence of
both your mental limitations from your post traumatic stress disorder and your physical limitations from your other medical
conditions to give your self the best chance to win your claim.
Lawyers and SSD for PTSD
In much the same way as many civilian doctors are not as familiar with PTSD as other psychiatric conditions, the same
applies for Social Security disability lawyers. So if you are trying to get Social Security disability benefits for PTSD it
is a good idea to get a lawyer experienced in PTSD disability claims. I handle SSDI, SSI and VA compensation claims and therefore,
have a lot of experience in dealing with PTSD as a disability. Although there is no such thing as a PTSD disability attorney,
most disability lawyers who handle VA and SSD claims should be familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder and how to best
handle your SSD or SSI claim for this condition. Another reason you may want a disability attorney familiar with both
SSD and VA claims is because if you are a veteran there is a good chance you are either already getting individual unemployability
(IU), or you are rated at 100% based on PTSD or you are trying to get those benefits as well. You can get both and if
you are awarded these benefits it can be helpful evidence in your SSDI claim and vice versa. So having both your claims
with one lawyer or atleast having a lawyer that understands the difference between the two and how each claim can help the
other would be an advantage. If you would like to ask me some questions or need help with your claim feel free to call
me at 1-877-527-5529.