Can You Get Disability For Schizophrenia

The Onset Of Schizophrenia Later In Life May Lead To Difficulty Securing Employment

Unfortunately, schizophrenia is a terribly disabling psychiatric illness with severe and long-term consequences for claimants and their families. The onset in early adulthood was clinically, at one point, considered by the medical community to be the main characteristic of schizophrenia.

Although the illness normally happens during a persons early adulthood;; its been reported that at least 20% of patients have onset after the age of 40 years, which would be the prime of a persons working career.

Most patients with late-onset schizophrenia have onset of illness during middle age although there are many reports of persons ages 65 and older that suffer schizophrenic symptoms which are more analogous to psychosis type issues, with fewer and less severe positive symptoms than those who are younger. Unfortunately, schizophrenia is associated with recurrent hospitalizations, need for long-term community support, poor social functioning, and high-unemployment rates.; The employment of persons who suffer from schizophrenia is unfortunately often impeded by numerous clinical problems, including symptoms of schizophrenia and poor cognitive functioning.; In fact, medical research has found that more positive psychotic symptoms were predictive of job loss.

Benefits For Disabled Adults

• Supplemental Security Income

SSDI is available to disabled adult workers who have paid Social Security taxes, while SSI is a need-based program only available to applicants that meet strict limitations on income and asset holdings. If you have never worked due to your mental illness, you will not qualify for SSDI. If you have financial support from friends or family, you will not qualify for SSI.

The 1994 1995 Nhis On Disability

The 1994, 1995 NHIS on Disability was designed to collect data on the prevalence and correlates of disability in the U.S. noninstitutionalized civilian population. The data were collected in two phases as part of the overall National Health Interview Survey for 1994 and 1995. Phase I of the NHIS-D data collection was conducted at the same time as the 1994 and 1995 Core NHIS interviews. In Phase I, any available adult respondent provided information for all members of the household. Data were collected on such topics as activity and work limitations, mental health, and use of services and benefits. Ninety-four percent of eligible households provided data for the NHIS Core, and 93 percent of the Core households completed the NHIS-D interview. The overall NHIS-D Phase I sample of 78,783 households provided the 120,216 persons aged 18 to 65 whose data were analyzed in this study.

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What Happens If My Long

Yes, schizophrenia can be considered a total disability under almost every Canadian disability policy but remember, most disability policies provide for benefits to be paid in two separate stages.

The first stage is usually for the first 24 months of disability. If you meet the test of total disability, you would qualify to receive long-term disability benefits if you can no longer do the substantial duties of your own job. This is typically called the own occupation definition.

The second stage is typically called the any occupation definition. The change of definition, after the 24 month mark, changes the definition of total disability from own occupation to any occupation. This means that claimants must not only be disabled from performing the duties of his or her own occupation, but also for any occupation to achieve or she is suited by reason of education training and experience. Therefore, after 24 months, claimants must meet a much stricter definition of entitlement.

Unfortunately for people at suffer from schizophrenia, positive symptoms, if not controlled properly, medically and regularly, will affect a claimants participation in employment.; Claimants that suffer the onset of schizophrenia, particularly with positive symptoms, may experience a multitude of psycho-social difficulties that prevent them from actively participating in any type of regular work structure.

Growing Awareness Of Veterans And Mental Illness

Growing public awareness of mental illness has made it easier for veterans seeking compensation for service-related schizophrenia. Mental health experts understand that it can take a long time, sometimes years, for psychotic symptoms, such as paranoid thoughts and hallucinations, to disrupt a persons life, at which point its not hard for a psychiatrist to make a definitive schizophrenia diagnosis. For a disorder as severe as schizophrenia, theres no reason why you shouldnt be getting disability benefits. If you can manage the claims process, with help from a qualified disability attorney or VA claims agent, you stand a very good chance of winning benefits.

Now lets take a look at how the VA rates schizophrenia , and how the claims process works.

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Get Experienced Legal Help You Can Trust

The SSA denies over three-quarters of initial applications, and the claims process is a long and complicated one.

Since 1982, we’ve helped over 75,000 injury victims and people with disabilities get the money they deserve.

Our experienced attorneys and legal staff put you first and fight to protect your rights. From gathering medical records and reports to talking with your doctor about your condition and helping you prepare for your hearing, we take care of the hassles and treat you with respect. We win the majority of appeals for our clients, and we’re ready to put all our resources to work for you.

And remember, there’s never a fee unless we get money for you. If you’re not approved, or we don’t win your appeal, you won’t owe us a penny.

To Be Eligible For Ssdi Under A Diagnosis Of Psychosis You Must Provide:

;; Medical documentation of one or more of the following:

;;Delusions or hallucinations; or

;;Grossly disorganized behavior or catatonia.

;;Extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning. Social Security defines marked as less than extreme, but worse than moderate.

;;Understanding, remembering, or applying information. For example, being able to understand instructions and learn new skills.

;;Interacting with others in a socially appropriate manner.

;;Concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace; the ability to complete tasks.

;;Adapting or managing oneself. Understanding acceptable work performance, being aware of safety hazards, wearing appropriate attire, and maintaining personal hygiene.

;;Evidence that your mental disorder is serious and persistent. This means you have a medically documented history of the existence of the disorder over a period of at least 2 years,

AND:

;;You are receiving medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial support, or you are living in a highly structured setting which diminishes the symptoms and signs of your mental disorder; and

;;You have minimal ability to adapt to changes in your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life.

Most initial claims for benefits are denied. If you would like help applying for benefits or appealing a denied claim contact us today for a free consultation. Call 512-454-4000 and get help NOW.

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The Intervention Reduced The Time Required To Adjudicate The Claim

For the treatment and comparison groups, we compared the processing time for three individual time segments: 1);the earliest filing date to the date the claim was established; 2);the date the claim was established to the date the field office released the case to the DDS; and 3) the date the field office released the case to the DDS to the initial decision. The pilot appeared to have a modest impact on the time between the earliest filing date to the date the claim was established. Compared with the C1 group, the pilot reduced that time by 7;days ; however, that difference was not significant when comparing the treatment group with the other comparison groups .

Table;4. SSI case processing times for the HSPD pilot, by time segment and location

Time segment and location
*;= statistically significant at the 10;percent level.**;= statistically significant at the 5;percent level.***;= statistically significant at the 1;percent level.
a. Northern Californiaincludes the combined Northern California field office locations for the treatment group and comparison groups C1 and C3 and the surrounding area field office locations for C2 .
b. Los Angelesincludes Los Angeles Downtown field office location for the treatment group and comparison groups C1 and C3 and the surrounding area field office locations for C2 .

Functional Equivalence And Childhood Schizophrenia

If your child does not meet the listing in the Blue Book for psychotic disorders, then the SSA will look at whether your child’s psychotic disorder is nevertheless so serious that it “functionally equals” the disability listings.

In so doing, the SSA will evaluate your child’s everyday activities using six domains of functioning. These domains include: gathering and processing information, focusing on tasks, working with others, moving objects around, personal care, and general well-being. To establish disability, your child must be markedly limitation in two domains or extremely limited in one domain of functioning. A marked limitation is described as more than moderate but less than extreme.

Alternatively, in a second case, the SSA did find a child with a psychotic disorder to be disabled. The SSA found the child was markedly limited in the domains of personal self-care and focusing on tasks. This ten-year old child rapidly changed her moods and would sometimes isolate herself in the classroom by crying and refusing to answer questions. Significantly, the child had been hospitalized for 10 days after hearing the voices of animals telling her to harm herself. The child also would speak to imaginary friends, would often talk in a baby-type voice, and she had received C’s, D’s, and F’s in her academic studies.

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Do Schizophrenics Qualify For Disability

Some types of objective medical evidence that can support a claim for disability based upon schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder include:

• Medical history
• Records of mental status examination
• Records of psychological testing
• Records of hospitalizations and treatment

Doctors and professionals who specialize in treating schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder include:

• Psychiatrists medical doctors who can both prescribe medication and offer psychotherapy
• Psychologists doctors whose main focus is psychotherapy or talk therapy
• Psychoanalysts psychiatrists and psychologists who are more specifically trained in a particular form of psychotherapy called psychoanalysis
• Social workers, therapists, and counselors non-doctor but trained professionals who provide talk therapy.

It is crucial to consult with a specialized mental health professional for your schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, instead of only treating with your family doctor or primary care doctor. If you are not consulting a specialist, the SSA may believe that your condition is not that serious. An experienced Social Security disability lawyer can help you locate sources of treatment .

Step 5. Can you do any other type of work?

Contact Gillette Law Group

Please do not hesitate to contact us for whatever concern you have regarding your application. Your consultation with us is free. Talk to us today at 873-2604.

Applicants Who Suffer From A Complex Mental Disorder Like Psychosis Should Consult An Experienced Disability Attorney

Because a person with psychosis frequently experiences difficulty with concentration, memory, and dysfunctional thought patterns, they may not be capable of representing themselves. A qualified disability lawyer can obtain medical records and physician statements and manage appeals and hearings, making a positive result much more likely.

In order to qualify for Social Security Disability, you will need to satisfy a few specific requirements in two categories as determined by the Social Security Administration.

The first category is the Work Requirements which has two tests.

;;The Duration of Work test.;; Whether you have worked long enough to be covered under SSDI.

;;The Current Work Test.;; Whether you worked recently enough for the work to actually count toward coverage.

The second category is the Medical Eligibility Requirement.

;;Are you working?;; Your disability must be total.

;;Is your medical condition severe?;; Your disability must be severe enough to interfere with your ability to perform basic work-related activities, such as walking, sitting, and remembering.

;;Is your medical condition on the List of Impairments? ;;The SSA has a List of Impairments that automatically qualify as severe disabilities. If your disease is not listed this does not mean you cannot get disability, it means you must prove you cannot maintain employment due to your limitations.

More details can be found on our Qualifying for Disability page.

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Disability Benefits For Schizophrenia

;Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects how an individual thinks, feels, and behaves. Roughly one in a hundred people in the United States have a version of this disorder. Several of these individuals with schizophrenia experience symptoms that prevent them from being able to work and maintain employment in the workforce, and may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits from the Social Security Administration .

Appendix B: Identification Of Schizophrenia And Schizoaffective Disorder

The evaluation of the HSPD pilot required identifying SSI applicants who allegedly had, or had been diagnosed with, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We apply this same identification process to the treatment group for consistency. To be included in the evaluation, each case must have met at least one of the following criteria:

Allegation description of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

We mined the allegation text field for root words and various misspellings of schizo found in Keyword Set;B1 . From this list, we searched again for root words more specific to schizophrenia and schizoaffective found in Keyword Set;B2 and Keyword Set;B3 to differentiate these two categories. The second search picked up one invalid observation, which we removed. Lastly, we used a sounds like function to search the text field for schizophrenia and schizoaffective, to catch any additional common misspellings. This last procedure did not find any additional observations.

Primary diagnosis code: 2950

We flagged any observations with a 2950 primary diagnosis code as a potential indicator of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The 2950 impairment code covers the Mental Disorder listing 112.03: Schizophrenic, Paranoid, and Other Psychotic Disorders. We included any individuals who received a denial based on this code, in addition to those who were approved, to capture as many individuals as possible who may have schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

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Reasons Schizophrenics Get Denied Disability

Ive heard two stories of people getting denied disability with schizophrenia. I thought 80% of cases got approved. Was I that lucky to get approved the first time around?

I wonder if Im doing myself a disservice going back to school and work next year I dont want to get denied disability and be crazy enough to need it one day

I was lucky and got it first time I was approved within a few months of applying. but I had a hospitalization under my belt and was going to doctor appointments. At the hospital they said I had schizophrenia but at the clinic they said I had borderline personality disorder with psychotic nos. Luckily through all the changes of diagnoses they never took away my social security. My current diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder, theyve had me do the re enrollment process over again in 2014, and I didnt have to go to another doctor to get checked. They approved me again right away.

Most have to try twice.

SS Attorney is best investment. It doesnt cost you much as attorney takes first check which is back benefits of about 5 months most of time and then you just start to get paid monthly. Atty is very helpful if you are close to homeless as these guys know who to talk to and how to move you to safety quickly with rest of social services.

i got denied then i got a lawyer hopefully i can get on it for my paraniod schizophrenia

The Intervention Led To A Significantly Higher Allowance Rate At The Initial Disability Adjudication Level

The allowance rate for the entire treatment group was 94;percent, ranging from 87;percent in Northern California to 97;percent in Los Angeles . Overall, the treatment group saw a higher allowance rate at the initial-decision level than the three comparison groups, with differences of 28;percentage points , 36;percentage points , and 53;percentage points . According to SSA’s records, at the national level, 7;percent of PD findings in fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2014 did not result in an eventual SSI payments allowance.1 With a 95;percent ultimate allowance rate for the treatment group, the reversal-of-PD-finding rate for the pilot is in line with the national rate during the same period.

Table;3. SSI allowance rates and consultative examinations for the HSPD pilot, by location

Outcome and location
*;= statistically significant at the 10;percent level.**;= statistically significant at the 5;percent level.***;= statistically significant at the 1;percent level.
a. Northern Californiaincludes the combined Northern California field office locations for the treatment group and comparison groups C1 and C3 and the surrounding area field office locations for C2 .
b. Los Angelesincludes Los Angeles Downtown field office location for the treatment group and comparison groups C1 and C3 and the surrounding area field office locations for C2 .

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A Va Disability Lawyer Can Help You Create A Successful Va Disability Appeal For Schizophrenia

Know that for your VA disability appeal for schizophrenia to be successful, it needs to demonstrate three things. First, you have a valid diagnosis of schizophrenia. Second, you experienced an event during your military service . Third, a medical nexus exists between your in-service evidence and your diagnosis.

How Schizophrenia Impacts Your Daily Activities

Symptoms of schizophrenia can come and go throughout a persons lifetime. Symptoms may become more severe, for example, if a treatment stops working or if a person is under a significant amount of stress. According to the American Psychiatric Association, some of these symptoms may include:

• Positive psychotic symptoms. Hallucinations, which may include hearing voices or paranoid delusions, may occur.
• Negative symptoms. A person with schizophrenia may experience a loss of ability to make plans, communicate, or express emotion.
• Disorganizationsymptoms. Confusion, trouble with logical thinking, or different behaviors may occur.
• Impaired cognition. Difficulties with attention, concentration, or memory may be present.

These symptoms may be controlled with various treatments, including:

• Medications. Anti-psychotic and anti-tremor medications may be helpful.
• Therapies. Support groups, cognitive therapy, psychotherapy, behavior therapy, and other types of therapies may be useful.

The treatments may not be effective forever, however.

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