How To Enroll In Medicare With A Disability
The first step to getting Medicare coverage if you have a disability is to apply for Social Security Disability benefits. Your disability will need to meet the standards set by the Social Security Administration to qualify for coverage. Generally, this means you are unable to work and that your condition is expected to last for at least a year.
Medicare doesnt determine who is eligible for disability coverage. You dont need to take any further steps if the Social Security Administration has approved your disability application. Youll just need to wait the required 24 months, and you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare.
Once youve been approved for SSDI, youll be automatically enrolled at the start of your 25th month of receiving benefits. Youll receive your Medicare card in the mail during your 22nd month of SSDI benefits. Once youre eligible, youll have coverage from Medicare parts A and B, also known as original Medicare.
- Medicare Part A . Part A is used to pay for hospital stays and other types of short-term patient care, such as skilled nursing facilities. People generally dont pay a premium for Part A coverage.
- Medicare Part B .Part B is used to pay for a wide range of medical services, including doctor and specialist appointments, emergency room visits, ambulance services, medical equipment, preventive care, and some medications. Youll normally pay a monthly premium for Part B coverage.
Contact Our Experienced Nationwide Firm
If you or someone you know is looking to receive long term disability benefits and needs the help of an experienced attorney, speak with our nationwide LTD attorneys today. Our firm has significant experience helping people just like you obtain or defend their long term disability benefits. Contact Walker & Hern for a free consultation.
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.
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Ten Social Security Disability Tips
1. Expect to have to put some effort in. There is is still a lot of ignorance around bipolar disability and this makes it harder to get approval from the SSA, compared to someone with an an obvious physical disability. You can walk, talk and fill in forms so what is your problem? Yeah, right!
2. Persist. Most people succeed eventually, but not on their first attempt. Remember what Dr Susan says: APPEAL! APPEAL APPEAL!
3. Involve your psychiatrist or other members of your medical team. The SSA will not approve your claim for bipolar disability without medical support.
4. File as soon as possible. The process is slow 3 to 5 months and even slower if you need to appeal.
5. Keep lots of documentation such as all your medical records. It helps if you are seeing your doctor regularly. A big factor is being able to demonstrate how your bipolar disorder impacts on your moods and ability to work so other records such as your Bipolar Mood Charts may be very useful.
6.Ask your doctor to complete an RFC form for you. However, remember that you cannot get bipolar disability just because your doctor considers you eligible. It is the SSA who decide.
7. Stay calm and be polite. The process can be very frustrating but will only be worse if you lose your cool. The folks at the SSA are just doing their jobs and everything will go smoother if everyone can stay nice.
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What Are Social Security Disability Benefits
Social Security disability benefits come from payroll deductions required by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act to cover the cost of Social Security benefits such as retirement, as well as spousal and survivor benefits. Some of this funding goes into the Disability Insurance Trust Fund and pays for disability benefits.
According to the Social Security website, to qualify for Social Security disability benefits, you must have worked a certain length of time in jobs covered by Social Security. Generally, you need 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the last 10 years, ending with the year when you became disabled. You must also have a medical condition that meets Social Securitys definition of disability.
Social Security Disability Insurance should not be confused with Supplemental Security Income , which pays benefits to those who have financial needs regardless of their work history. Although these two names sound similar, the qualifications to get the payments and what you might receive are very different.
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What Is Bipolar Disorder Disability
Also called manic depression, this condition is a brain disorder that can cause excessive mood swings, where a person cycles between depressive states and high states . These cycles can occur over long periods or may occur at the same time.
During mania, the person may experience euphoria, rage, sleeplessness, and rushed thoughts and speech. In severe manic episodes, the patient may become delusional or suffer hallucinations. In the depressive state, the person suffers extreme feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, too much or too little sleep, as well as suicidal thoughts and ideations. These unusual shifts in energy levels lead to an overall inability to function normally.
Many factors that are cited as causes of bipolar disorder disability include:
- Imbalance in brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters
- Hormonal imbalance
- Traumatic experiences or extreme stress
Bipolar disorder and depression can also accompany an illness or injury as a secondary condition.
Tips For Managing Bipolar Disorder At Work
If you have bipolar disorder, you can do some things to make it easier to succeed at work. For starters, know your symptoms of depression and mania. That way, you can better manage them. See challenges as learning experiences, and look for opportunities to learn. Give yourself lots of credit for big and small accomplishments, especially when you persevere through hard times.
Here are a few other tips that may help you with managing bipolar disorder at work.
Manage stress. Remember to try these tips at home as well. Itâs important to get plenty of down time.
- Take regular breaks before you think you really need them. This is particularly important if your stress levels rise.
- Try a relaxation exercise, such as deep breathing.
- Take a walk around the block.
- Listen to relaxing music.
- Take time off for counseling.
Make other healthy lifestyle changes. Besides managing your stress well, itâs important to exercise daily, get enough sleep, and eat nutritious meals. If stress is affecting your sleep, take steps to get it under control. Think about stress management techniques that have worked well for you in the past.
Take your medications as prescribed. It may be tempting to go without treating your mania. After all, this is when many people feel most productive. But that can be risky thinking. During mania, youâre more likely to make mistakes and can become cranky, making working relationships challenging. Also, untreated mania can lead to depression.
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Social Security Disability Evaluation Process
While there are some conditions that the Social Security Administration considers so severe that they automatically render an applicant disabled, many conditions require careful screening, including answering these five questions:
In addition, qualifying conditions must be expected to last at least one year or result in death.
What Are The Best Jobs For People With Bipolar Disorder
Thereâs no one best job for everyone who has bipolar disorder. Think about these things when youâre considering an occupation:
- Work environment. Do you need a quiet space where you can concentrate?
- Schedule. Daytime hours are best for many people.
- The kinds of people who do this job. Do your potential co-workers have values and lifestyles that fit with yours?
- Creativity. Many people who have bipolar disorder find that they need creative outlets. Does the job involve creativity? Would it give you chances to pursue creative activities outside of work?
Youâll also want to find out these things about the occupation:
- Duties
- How many jobs are available now and in the future
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Do You Have To Take Medication To Receive Ssdi Benefits For Bipolar Disorder
There is no requirement by the SSA that you take medication. However, if you have been treated by a psychiatrist who recommended medication and you are not taking it, it will count against you on your application. The SSA wants to know that youre doing everything possible to improve your mental health, and if you refuse treatment they will assume this is the reason you arent well enough to work.
Applying For Ssdi On A Parents Record
Disabled children can often receive benefits on their parents records, potentially on an ongoing basis. The rules are different for minor children and adult children, but both age groups can often receive ongoing benefits from SSDI on their parents record without needing to apply to need-based SSI programs.
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Applying For Ssdi: Bipolar Disorder Symptoms And Treatments
The symptoms of bipolar disorder are typically extreme shifts in an individuals mood. One day, for example, a person might feel the happiest they have ever been, become very hyperactive, have severe racing thoughts, or participate in seriously risky behavior. Weeks or even days later, their mood might dramatically shift to feelings of despair, hopelessness, severe depression and irritability.
For people with bipolar II disorder, fully manic episodes are absent, but hypomanic episodes occur . Many people with bipolar II disorder are capable of being very productive and successful during hypomanic episodes.
Treatment for bipolar disorder will vary based on the type of bipolar you are diagnosed with, such as Bipolar I, Bipolar II, Bipolar Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, or Cyclothymic, as they are described by the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
It is believed that bipolar disorder is genetic or genetically triggered when paired with environmental factors. Treatments are different for each person. Most treatment plans include psychotherapy and prescribed medication . Both treatments are typically thought to be useful in reducing the severity of bipolar symptoms and in the prevention of relapse.
How Much Time Off Do You Get With Short
While I might sound like a broken record, a concern like, How long is short-term disability? is another aspect that can vary depending on your own plan.
Your time off also depends on your specific health problem. The medical field has guidelines as to how long recovery should take, explains Bartolic. That provides a roadmap for your employer or plan provider to establish a reasonable amount of time for you to be out of work.
What if things are really serious and youre not looking at a few weeks or even months away from the jobbut much longer? That would fall under a long-term disability benefit, if your employer offers such a thing.
As the names imply, short-term disability is used to cover injuries or illnesses that persist for a shorter amount of time . In contrast, long-term disability comes into play for any issues that will take you out of work for longer than that.
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What Is Considered Appropriate Treatment For Bipolar Disorder
When evaluating your bipolar disorder long term disability claim, the insurance company will want to see youre receiving appropriate treatment. Even if your claim is approved, they will still require proof of ongoing treatment for your condition. The insurance company can easily use non-compliance and lack of appropriate care as a reason to deny or terminate your bipolar disorder long term disability claim.
To demonstrate appropriate treatment, your treatment team should include specialists such as a psychiatrist and/or psychologist. Treatment options may include:
Again, it is important to follow your doctors recommendation. Your insurance company will want to see you are in treatment and doing everything in your power to improve your symptoms.
Can I Receive Disability Benefits For Bipolar Disorder
August 24, 2019 By Bross & Frankel
Slowly but surely, the stigma around mental illness is being erased. People are more willing to talk about their mental health, which has made it easier and more acceptable for individuals to seek treatment for mental illness.
Despite the many advances in medication and therapy, in some cases, mental health conditions are still disabling. This is sometimes the situation with bipolar disorder. For individuals with this condition, it may be difficult to impossible to hold down a job while managing the symptoms of their illness and receiving treatment. This can be particularly true if you experience periods of remission and relapse, or good days and bad days.
Bipolar disorder affects an estimated 4.4% of American adults at some point in their lives. The majority of people with bipolar disorder are seriously impaired by their condition which may affect their ability to work. As with other mental health conditions, people with bipolar disorder may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.
The Social Security Administration considers bipolar disorder as one of many mental illnesses that may qualify for benefits. A skilled Philadelphia disability benefits attorney can work with individuals with bipolar disorder to analyze their individual situation and put together a strong application.
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What Are My Rights Under The Ada/social Security
The ADA prevents people who are disabled from being discriminated against at work. Your company cant cancel a job offer or fire you because you have bipolar disorder.
You must be able to do the basic tasks your job requires, but you can ask for accommodations. Accommodations are changes to your schedule or responsibilities that make your job easier to do.
Examples of accommodations for people with bipolar disorder are:
- a flexible schedule
- extra breaks during the day
- a desk organizer or planner
- noise cancelling headphones
- job coaching
- a support animal
Under the ADA, you also have a right to privacy. You dont have to tell your employer that you have bipolar disorder unless you want to share that information.
You can get Social Security disability benefits if your bipolar disorder is severe enough to prevent you from working or if it limits your ability to do your job.
Whether you can work depends on how severe your bipolar disorder is, and how much your symptoms affect your daily life.
Symptoms like mood swings, irritability, and trouble concentrating can make it harder to do many jobs.
In general, people with bipolar disorder have a harder time working than those who dont. Between never go back to work full time after their symptoms start.
It may be harder for you to work if you have:
- severe bipolar disorder
- frequent episodes of mania and/or depression
- constant low-level depression
- psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions
There Are Four Types Of Bipolar Disorder:
Bipolar disorder affects people in different ways. Although medication and psychotherapy can help to control the symptoms of bipolar disorder, it may not completely eliminate them.
As a California disability benefits attorney can explain, the Social Security Administration maintains a listing of impairments that includes both medical and mental health conditions that are considered severe enough to prevent an individual from working. Bipolar disorder is listed in the SSAs listing of impairments.
To qualify for SSDI benefits with bipolar disorder, you must submit the following evidence:
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Medical Evidence Required For Disability Based On Bipolar Disorder
At the SSA’s request, your treating doctor should submit to the SSA your psychiatric medical record showing the entire history of your bipolar disorder, including documentation of any severe or violent manic episodes. Your psychiatric record should include all treatments attempted, including any mood-stabilizing medications that you’ve tried, such as lithium, carbamazepine, or valproic acid, what your current prescribed therapy is, and whether you regularly comply with the prescribed therapy . Your medical record should also include the efficacy and side effects of each medication, and how their side effects, along with your symptoms, affect your daily activities, your functioning, and your ability to hold a job.
If there is evidence in your medical file that your doctor suspects your use of alcohol or drugs compounds your emotional problems, this can affect your claim. Learn more in our article on how alcoholism and drug dependence affect disability claims.