Medical Records From Your Doctor
When determining whether your bipolar disorder is disabling, your insurance company will likely also want the opinions of your treating doctor. Your doctors support is key. Your doctors reports should focus on:
- The frequency and severity of your symptoms
- Any positive mental status exam findings
- Their direct observations of you during office visits and
The specific restrictions and limitations that prevent you from working.
Is Learning Disability A Mental Disorder
No, a Learning Disability is not a mental illness. Learning Disabilities are neurologically-based. These disabilities will impact on an individual’s ability to process and to use information and, thus, can impact on this individual’s ability to be successful with reading, writing, math, and other learning tasks.
With Bipolar Disorder Get Help From A Trusted Disability Attorney
If you know you cant work because of a mental health condition such as bipolar disorder, your anxiety goes even higher. You need disability income. And you need help from a disability attorney who treats you with dignity and respect.
The lawyers at Levine Benjamin have extensive experience helping people with mental health conditions. Levine Benjamin is the largest Social Security Disability law firm in Michigan.
Well listen to you and your needs. Well guide you through Social Securitys special legal system for awarding disability benefits. We understand this is about more than moneyits about your independence.
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Look Out For Mental And Nervous Limitations
Unlike Social Security disability benefits, long-term disability insurance is offered by privately owned insurance companies. These companies can include a wide variety of terms, conditions, exceptions, and limitations to their plans. You should always carefully read your disability insurance plans documents before you file a claim for benefits.
Long-term disability policies often include a mental and nervous clause that limits the amount of time you can receive benefits for a mental disability. Policies vary substantially, but as a general rule, most mental and nervous clauses impose a one- or two-year limitation.
For example, if you are suffering from depression that is so severe that you cannot work, then you may be eligible for benefits under your long-term disability plan. However, if your plan includes a mental and nervous limitation, youll only receive benefits for a few years, even if your disability lasts longer. As soon as you reach your plans cut-off date, the insurer no longer has to pay benefits for your mental health claim.
Starting A Disability Claim
If you dont know whether you are eligible for Social Security disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income , you can apply for both. Call the SSA at 800-772-1213 to set up an appointment to fill out an application for disability. When you fill out your application, include a detailed description of what an episode of intense anxiety looks like for you, as well as how often you have them and how they impair your ability to work.
If you have both an anxiety disorder and a physical impairment that keeps you from working, consider hiring a lawyer to help you file your claim, or if your initial claim gets denied, to file an appeal.
| Take our disability quiz to help you determine whether you qualify for benefits. |
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What Are The Disabling Symptoms Of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a disabling condition caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain resulting in severe mood swings. It is characterized by periods of manic activity punctuated by exceptionally bad periods of depression. Both the highs and lows of bipolar disorder are intense and can interfere with all aspects of your daily life.
You can absolutely qualify for long term disability benefits due to bipolar disorder. However, you will need to provide strong evidence to your insurance company of your disabling symptoms to get your claim approved.
Practical Points: Job Accommodations
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Your Anxiety Disorder Disability Case
If you are disabled because of an Anxiety Disorder that prevents you from working, you may well be entitled to Social Security Disability benefits. Although total disability based on an Anxiety Disorder can be difficult to prove due to the subjective nature of diagnosis, working closely with medical professionals and a qualified Social Security disability attorney or advocate to collect and present the appropriate documentation to support your disability claim can help to ensure that you present the strongest possible disability case.
% Va Rating For Depression And Anxiety
The 0 percent rating is reserved for a very mild presentation of psychopathology. If VA awards a 0 percent rating for depression or anxiety, it has determined that the veteran has a qualifying diagnosis, but the symptoms do not result in functional impairment or require medication. Importantly, a 0 percent disability rating is non-compensable, meaning the veteran will not receive monthly payments for that condition.
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Talk To A Disability Lawyer
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Receiving Disability For Bi
Oct 11, 2012 | Social Security SSD/SSI |
Getting disability due to mental limitations such as bipolar disorder.
There are many possible symptoms of bipolar disorder that can affect a persons ability to work. In a manic episode the individual may experience over confidence, racing thoughts, increased energy, irritability, sleeplessness, inability to concentrate, denial of condition, drug abuse, bad judgment, euphoria, or aggressive behavior. In a depressive episode symptoms may include hopelessness, suicidal thoughts, sleep difficulties, helplessness, guilt, difficulty with memory, difficulty with concentration, irritability, physical symptoms of pain, overly sad, weight gain or loss, and decreased energy.
Thankfully, bipolar disorder is recognized by the Social Security Administration as a legitimate basis for the payment of disability benefits. If you are a claimant who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder symptoms, there are two primary theories for receiving benefits.
The primary theory for those suffering from bipolar is to argue that your condition is so severe that it meets the listing as defined by the Social Security Administration in Listing 12.04. To qualify this way you will need supporting documents in the form of a written declaration attesting to the fact that you experience specific systems that result in difficulties with your mental functioning.
To qualify under the listing, the following requirements must be met:
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Anxiety Disorders And Symptoms:
Anxiety disorders can affect any person of any age, ethnicity, or social class, and if symptoms become disabling, many can seek financial support for treatment through the Canadian disability tax credit. There are six main categories of disorders categorized by type and severity of symptoms:
Each type of anxiety disorder can interact with one another, or multiple anxiety disorders can co-exist within one person. As symptoms progress, the condition can become disabling those needing treatment might wish to apply for the Disability Tax Credit offered in Canada. There are general disability credits as well as a child disability tax credit for youth or children who are suffering from a disabling anxiety disorder.
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Give Your Mind A Break
One of the integral symptoms of GAD is compulsive worrying. A powerful way to combat this is to engage in a relaxation method that calms the mind such as meditation.
But not only does meditation calm the brain but it also changes it. Over time, meditation increases activity on the left side of the prefrontal cortex. This just happens to be the area of the brain that generates feelings of peace, calmness, and joy.
There have been a number of studies showing a direct link between meditation and decreased anxiety. However one of the most recent studies has revealed that even just one session of mindfulness meditation can ease the symptoms of anxiety. And if you keep going, for a week, the findings suggest that it will only get better.
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Winning Social Security Disability In Alabama
George Allen Moore400 Meridian Street Suite 301Huntsville, AL 35801
If you have a mental health condition and it is severe enough to prevent you from working at any job, it can be the basis for a successful Social Security Disability claim. You must show that your mental impairment is severe enough to keep you from maintaining employment. Having a diagnosis such as depression,bipolar disorder or anxiety is not enough for you to win a Social Security Disability case. You must show how the symptoms and limitations from the mental condition prevent you from working at any job.
To help you with your Social Security Disability claim, we work with your therapist, psychiatrist, counselor, or psychologist to get their opinion regarding the severity of your mental health condition. We will also help them to translate your symptoms into functional limitations that the Social Security Administration will use to evaluate your claim.
If you claim that you are disabled because of mental impairments, the Social Security Judge will want to know about how the mental condition affects:
Meeting A Disability Listing For Depression Or Bipolar Disorder
The Social Security Administration will automatically grant disability benefits for depression or bipolar disorder if you can show you have the symptoms and limitations listed in its official disability listing for depression or bipolar disorder. The SSA will consider treatment notes from your doctor or psychologist, mental status evaluations, psychological testing, and any reports of hospitalizations.
Symptoms. To qualify for either disability benefits on the basis of depression, you must show you have at least five of the following symptoms:
- depressed mood
- distractibility
- involvement in risky activities with painful consequences that are not recognized, and/or
- increase in physical agitation or in in goal-directed activity .
Limitations. For either disorder, you must show that you also have a loss of abilities, either an extreme limitation in one of the following areas or a “marked” limitation in two or more of the following areas:
- adapting to change or managing oneself
- concentrating on and finishing tasks
- interacting with others using use socially appropriate behaviors, and/or
- understanding, remembering, or using information .
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If You Have Symptoms Of Mania Such As Hyperactivity And Distractability That Affect Your Functional Abilities You May Be Able To Get Disability Benefits
By Bethany K. Laurence, Attorney
Bipolar disorder, also known by the name of manic depression, is a psychotic mental disorder involving both depression and mania . In bipolar disorder, there is an expansive and elated mood that may cycle with depression a less severe form is known as cyclothymia. Some people have “rapid cycling” of manic and depressive episodes, but for others a manic or depressive episode can last for weeks or months.
To qualify for disability benefits for bipolar disorder, your condition must be severe enough that either of the following are true, even with proper medication:
- You meet the specific requirements for bipolar disorder that the Social Security Administration has set out in its impairment listing on mood disorders .
- You can’t function at a high enough and consistent enough level to hold a basic, unskilled job.
Denied Bipolar Disorder Disability Claims For Ltd Insurance
Marc Whitehead & Associates aggressively represents insurance policyholders that have had bipolar disability claims unfairly denied. We can help you fight the insurance companys denial whether you personally bought the policy, or the policy was issued through your employer.
Many disability insurance policies contain language that classifies mental impairments such as bipolar disorder, as a mental nervous condition. Defined as such, typically only 24 months compensation is allowed. However, this may not be accurate if the bipolar disorder is a biologically based illness. This then becomes an argument of an unacceptable assignment of the disorder in the policy language.
Insurance companies will use many other tactics to defend their decision to deny your award of disability benefits. Common tactics include:
- Claims of misdiagnosis
- Lack of medical evidence
- Pre-existing condition clauses in the policy language
Strategies to overturn denied claims for bipolar disorder disability will vary greatly depending upon which type of long-term disability policy you are fighting.
We understand the reasons and excuses that insurance companies use to deny claims for mental disorders. Let us fight to hold your insurance company accountable, so you may recover the benefits you are due.
As Board Certified Social Security Disability attorneys, we want you to know that we will personally work with you to provide the help you need to appeal the denial. No matter where you live, we can help.
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Approval Rates For Mood And Anxiety Disorders On Appeal
If you’ve received an initial denial letter because you didn’t meet Social Security’s medical criteria, that’s no reason to give up. If you request a hearing before an administrative law judge , the likelihood of receiving benefits goes up dramatically. Government statistics from 2007-2015 show that nearly six in ten applicants who listed mood or anxiety disorders as their primary impairment were approved after a hearing.
Several factors contribute to the better outlook at hearings. For one thing, it takes a long time to get to a hearing. While the wait can be frustrating, it can help you build stronger evidence. This is particularly critical with mood and anxiety disorders. If you can show that your mental condition has continued to be severe and to keep you from working, a judge is more likely to be convinced that you’re eligible for disability benefits, and that your condition isn’t short-term.
Our survey points to another important reason for the higher approval rate at hearings: More applicants enlist the help of a lawyer at this stage in the process. Nearly three-quarters of all readers who went to a hearing were represented by an attorney, compared to 30% at the initial application stage. And applicants with lawyers had a much greater chance of winning disability benefits .
Can You Get Disability For Anxiety And Depression
Answer. Depression and anxiety can have a profound and marked impact on a person’s life and career. However, to qualify medically for SSDI or SSI benefits on the basis of depression and anxiety, you must show Social Security that your mental condition is severe and precents you from living a normal life.
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Anxiety And Depression Can Cause Non
If you apply for disability for a physical condition that limits your strength or ability to walk, the SSA will decide what level of work you can do, as in heavy, medium, light, or sedentary work. If you have a moderate physical disability that limits your ability to lift heavy items, you might be restricted to medium or light work, but thats no guarantee of disabilty benefits.
But when considering whether you are actually able to work, the SSA must also evaluate any non-exertional impairments you have. Non-exertional impairments are those that relate to non-strength related work activities such as the ability to focus, concentrate, get along with others, and be reliable. Many people with moderate anxiety and depression experience these kinds of non-exertional impairments. For more information, see our article on how non-exertional impairments can help you win your claim.
Just because your mental health issues arent considered severe doesnt mean that they cant affect your ability to do a wide range of jobs. Having non-severe mental health issues other than anxiety or depression can also increase the chances of winning a disability claim, when added to a physical impairment. For more information, see our article on when combining severe and non-severe impairments leads to disability benefits.
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Showing Reduced Productivity Due To Moderate Depression
Another way to win your claim for disability is to prove that your moderate depression or anxiety, when combined with your severe physical impairment, will result in a 20% reduction in your productivity in the workplace.
You or your attorney can present this argument at the hearing level by discussing the combined side effects of your medications. For example, most anxiety and depression medications can cause fatigue, insomnia, headaches, or restlessness. Pain medication can likewise cause difficulty in thinking and concentration, along with excessive sleepiness. During your hearing, your attorney and the administrative law judge will ask you questions to determine the extent of how the medications affect you. Examples of these questions are:
- Do you watch television? If so, can you watch an entire one-hour show?
- Do you like to read? If so, do you read magazines or books?
- How many hours do you sleep at night?
- Do you sleep during the day?
- What time do you go to bed during the day? What time do you wake up?
- Are you able to drive when you take your medications?
- Have you tried any other medications?
- Do you pay your bills or does someone help you?
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