Veterans With Bipolar Disorder Disability
Veterans suffering from disabling mental disorders that occurred in or were aggravated during service may obtain disability compensation. Bipolar disorder is considered a disability by the VA. Its listed in their Schedule for Rating Disabilities under Mental Disorders, and specifically under Mood Disorders.
The VA rates disabilities according to loss of function and the effect on your ability to work and earn a living. The VA schedule doesnt cover all forms of mental illnesses, despite how disabling the condition may be. An incorrect diagnosis could result in denial of benefits you would otherwise be entitled to receive for bipolar disorder.
How Much Disability Can You Receive For Bipolar Disorder
As those who struggle with bipolar disorder know all too well, this condition is a mental illness that manifests itself through periods of mania and extremely upbeat feelings, followed, often quickly, but moods of severe depression or anxiety. Those who have this condition often experience it as a pendulum, swinging back and forth quickly. It affects both men and women, and while it can be treated by medication, there is, unfortunately, no “cure”. Understandably, this condition can make the normal activities of day-to-day life difficult and can be disabling in many ways.
In some cases, bipolar disorder can be so severe that it renders those who struggle with it unable to work and earn an income as they normally would. This can be financially stressful, to say the least. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be wondering whether or not you are entitled to disability benefits, and if so, how much disability you might be able to receive.
Some Other Terms Connected To Bipolar Disorder
- Hypomania is a milder form of mania but still more extreme that a regular good mood.
- Mixed episodes are ones in which you have symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time. For example you might feel excitable and agitated like you do when youre in mania while also feeling depressed and hopeless. This combination of energy, agitation and depression makes a mixed episode the most dangerous for risk of suicide.
- Rapid cycling is when a person with bipolar disorder experiences four or more mood swings or episodes in one year
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Does Bipolar Disorder Qualify For Disability Benefits In Canada
Yes. All disability benefits providers in Canada recognize bipolar as a disability. And it is a condition that can qualify for benefits. However, a diagnosis on its own wont win you benefits.
Providers pay benefits to people who can prove their conditions prevent them from working. When reviewing claims for bipolar, disability providers focus on the seriousness of your symptoms. They consider the medical treatment youve had and future treatment plans. They look at how your symptoms affect your employment and how hard you tried to keep working. And you must have this documented in medical records or other paperwork with your claim.
If you are interested in learning about other conditions that qualify as a disability in Canada, check out our article: Medical Conditions that Qualify for Disability Benefits.
Can You Get Disability Benefits For Bipolar Disorder
A significant percentage of people who experience bipolar disorder may have the opportunity to qualify for disability for bipolar disorder. The Social Security Administration considers bipolar disorder to be a disability when a person meets the medical and work requirements as stated within the SSAs Blue Book. If a person meets the eligibility requirements for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, they would also need to meet the work and medical requirements set forth by the SSA. If the individual is seeking disability benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance program, the applicant also has to meet specific work requirements relating to how many work credits they would have had to earn while they were employed.
The calculation of the work credits is done based on an applicants age and for how much time that individual has worked. On average, a person needs approximately 40 credits to attain disability benefits, out of which 20 of those credits need to have been earned during the past 10 years before the individual became disabled. If a person meets the work requirements, then the SSA will consider the medical requirements next. An applicant must also meet the medical requirements that the SSA specifies with regard to qualifying for disability benefits relating to bipolar disorder.
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Does Bipolar Disorder Qualify Me For Social Security Benefits
The symptoms of bipolar disorder can be extreme enough to prevent an individual from working. If this is the case for you, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition characterized by alternating periods of mania and depression. There are two main types of bipolar disorder, Bipolar I and Bipolar II, and each may have slightly different criteria for diagnosis.
Bipolar I is characterized by distinct periods of mania and depression, though some individuals will also experience symptoms of hypomania, a state of mania where symptoms are milder. In order to be diagnosed with Bipolar I, manic symptoms must last at least one week and occur for most of the day every day or result in hospitalization. Approximately 30% of individuals diagnosed with Bipolar I experience severe symptoms.
Bipolar I is most commonly diagnosed around age 18. Individuals with Bipolar I are often diagnosed with additional mental health conditions, such as anxiety. In order to be diagnosed with Bipolar I, individuals must also experience a period of significant depression.
Benefits For Disabled Adults
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.
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Is Bipolar A Serious Mental Illness
Health experts class bipolar disorder as a serious mental illness, along with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. They have this classification because all three conditions can significantly impair a persons quality of life. People also present with symptoms relatively early, so their mental illnesses can interrupt their lives for many years.
Almost 90% of people with bipolar say medications help them manage their condition. However, establishing the issue can be challenging, with just 25% of people receiving an accurate diagnosis in less than three years. People with bipolar often spend up to 10 years waiting for the correct diagnosis.
When its left untreated, bipolar can cause severe problems. People with bipolar usually live 9.2 years less than people without the condition. As many as 20% of people with bipolar commit suicide. They are also more likely to behave impulsively and engage in risky behaviors, including substance abuse and unsafe sexual practices. People with bipolar also struggle to maintain positive relationships with friends and family members.
Can You Get Disability For Bipolar
You can get disability for bipolar if you meet the requirements outlined by the SSA.
If you are looking to apply for Social Security disability insurance , you need to meet the list the criteria outlined by the SSA for bipolar disorder located in the SSAs Blue Book.
Bipolar disorder listing is in section 12.04. You also need to have enough work credits as SSDI is workers who cant work full time anymore because of a disability like bipolar disorder.
If you meet the medical and work criteria, you will be able to get disability for bipolar in the form of SSDI benefits. You can get disability for bipolar in the form of SSI benefits if you meet the medical criteria outlined by the SSA.
In order to get SSI benefits for bipolar disorder, you need to meet the financial requirements outlined by the SSA. Since SSI is a needs-based program, you need to have very little income and resources.
Information on the financial limitations for SSI is located on the SSAs website. If you meet both the medical and financial requirements outlined by the SSA, you get disability for bipolar in the form of SSI benefits in the form of SSI benefits.
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Disability Tax Credit For Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, which is categorized as manic-depressive, affects the physical function of the brain. Patients who are classified as bipolar exhibit erratic changes in behavior. Depression, lowered energy levels, and mood swings are just a few of the characteristics of the condition. Upwards of 10 percent of Canadians are said to experience some form of intense, prolonged depression at some point in their lives. To help, the Canadian government offers the Disability Tax Credit for Bipolar Disorder.
Work With Our Disability Claim Attorneys
Dont hesitate to appeal a denied claim. The attorneys at Marc Whitehead & Associates helps people across the country overturn claim denials for bipolar and other mental disorders. In most cases, we will work on a contingency fee basis. This means that no retainer is required, and you dont owe us a fee until we win your case.
Please call our law firm toll free at today to arrange a free consultation with a lawyer to see how we may help you recover benefits under a bipolar disability claim.
About Marc Whitehead
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What Does Being Bipolar Mean
Bipolar symptoms are usually associated with dramatic highs and lows involving mood. A patient can swing from normal, sometimes even happy behavior, to a state of full-on manic depression. Typically, symptoms of bipolar disorder can be observed in patients starting in their late teens and into their early twenties.There are 3 basic categories of bipolar disorder. Some of these classifications overlap in some areas but are for the most part distinctive.
- Bipolar Type 1The most severe form. Intense manic depression and psychosis
- Bipolar Type 2Strong bouts of depression mixed with hypomania
- Bipolar Type 3called cyclothymics, alternate between mild depression and hypomania
Types Of Bipolar Disorder
The insurance company may also want to know what type of Bipolar Disorder you suffer from. Health experts classify bipolar disorder into four types:
- Bipolar Affective Disorder 1: This type is diagnosed when you have had at least one manic episode, which could be followed or preceded by a major depressive or hypomanic episode. Individuals with Bipolar 1 experience full-blown mania. Symptoms may include high energy, insomnia, racing thoughts, extreme talkative behavior, hallucinations and delusions.
- Bipolar Affective Disorder 2: Sometimes referred to as Swinging Bipolar, you may be diagnosed with Bipolar 2 if you experience at least one depressive episode and one hypomanic episode. Unlike Bipolar 1, those diagnosed with Bipolar 2 arent known to have psychotic episodes. They can, however, suffer badly from depression.
- Cyclothymic Disorder: Cycolthymic Disorder is characterized by at least a two-year history of periods of both hypomania/mania and depression, but not to a major extent. Your manic and depressive episodes can go back and forth over a period of time, but not enough to meet full criteria of major depression. Those diagnosed with Cyclothymic Disorder do have trouble functioning at times.
- Bipolar Affective Disorder NOS : This type is diagnosed when you experience some characteristics of bipolar disorder, but none of which can be classified as one of the three other types.
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Bipolar And Being Denied The Disability Tax Credit
I dont really go around shouting the fact that I am disabled. I have an invisible disability so I suppose that affords me the luxury of not having people know. But, in fact, severe bipolar disorder is a disability. Ask anyone who lives with it. They will tell you how disabling it is. Its horrendous. And, in Canada, we have a disability tax credit. Its supposed to making working a little bit easier for people with a disability. Well, I have a disability and I was denied the disability tax credit.
Originally, when I opened the letter denying my disability tax credit I became fairly hysterical and my writing reflected said hysteria. I need this tax credit for tax season. And damn it, who are these government idiots to tell me that I, a person with bipolar, a person who has been under serious healthcare for 16 years, am not disabled enough to get it? What right do these people have to judge my life? I really wanted to find the signatory of the letter and possibly cause him bodily harm.
But I calmed down.
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Design Setting And Participants
This cohort study used health administrative and social service data from ICES for 1902792 adults aged 18 to 59 years living in Ontario, Canada. A narrow cohort of individuals who had a new diagnosis of a mood disorder between October 1, 1997, and March 31, 2007, matched by sex and age to individuals with no history of mood disorder, included 278296 participants. A broader cohort of individuals who had a new diagnosis of other common mental disorders during the same period, matched by sex and age to individuals with no history of mental disorder diagnosis, included 1624496 individuals. All individuals were followed up to a maximum end date of March 31, 2017. Data analysis was conducted from November 2017 to June 2018.
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Getting Disability Benefits For Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, which is also commonly known as manic depressive disorder, is a condition in which an individual experiences cyclic mania or extreme euphoria and periods of extreme depression. This type of mental illness is considered to fall within a category of various mood disorders. Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that is common in both men and women.
Drugs And Alcohol And Depression
If you have been diagnosed with drug or alcohol dependency, then you have a major roadblock to obtaining disability benefits for depression or bipolar disorder. An examining psychologist might assume that your symptoms result from drug usage and not from your underlying condition. It is your burden to show the SSA that you would be disabled by your depression bipolar disorder regardless of your use of drugs or alcohol. In these situations, it is helpful to have a period of sobriety in your medical records during which you still have been diagnosed with severe depression or bipolar disorder. Also, you can try to request a statement from your doctor stating that drugs or alcohol are not the cause of your mental condition and that stopping use would not make your condition improve. For more information, read Nolos article on how drugs and alcohol can keep you from getting disability.
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Bipolar Disorder As A Disability Under Ssa
Social Security provides both Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income .
If youve received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, the SSA has a 5-step evaluation process to determine if you qualify for financial disability benefits.
Youll be asked:
- Are you currently working? As of 2021, earning an average monthly income of more than $1,310 often prevents you from collecting disability.
- Is your condition severe? This means that for a period of at least 12 months, bipolar disorder prevented you from performing basic work tasks such as lifting, sitting, walking, or standing.
- Is your condition found in the list of disabling conditions? Yes, bipolar disorder is included in the list.
- Can you do work youve done previously? SSA will assess your residual functional capacity , or how your condition has affected your work abilities.
- Can you do any other type of work? Being unable to work one type of job doesnt always exclude you from other forms of employment.
The Ada And Psychiatric Disability In The Workplace
- Definitions. The ADA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. When job applicants or employees have a mental health condition that meets this criteria, they have workplace rights under the ADA. The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 recently broadened the definition of disability to provide legal protections against employment discrimination for more individuals with disabilities, including people with psychiatric disabilities.
- Record of psychiatric disability. The ADA also prohibits discrimination against individuals who have a record of a psychiatric disability or are regarded as having a psychiatric disability. This means, for example, that qualified individuals who have a history of psychiatric disability cannot be discriminated against just because of that history. Also, employers cant take actions because they believe a qualified applicant or employee might have a psychiatric disability.
- Rights under the ADA. Applicants and employees with psychiatric disabilities have two main rights under the ADA. First, they have a right to privacy. Except when asking for an accommodation, they can choose whether to tell the employer about their disability. Second, they have a right to a job accommodation unless this causes undue hardship for the employer.
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There Are Many Canadians With Serious Mental Illness Who Experts Say Are Missing Out On Benefits And Tax Breaks Because Too Few Doctors Understand What Constitutes A Disability
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Delusions, depression, reckless behaviour.
The symptoms of Patti Gardners bipolar disorder make it nearly impossible for her to perform many simple functions of daily life.
She cant work, she cant socialize with people, she struggles to make financial decisions or big purchases, she says. She just cant trust herself.
I think of bipolar disorder as trying to ride a bucking bronco all the time, she says. You have to be careful because its going to try to get away from you whenever it has a chance.
Gardner says the impediments caused by her mental illness could qualify her for the Canada Revenue Agencys Disability Tax Credit potentially worth thousands of dollars per year.
But Gardner, who already receives a disability pension from the federal government, says she cant find a doctor who will approve her application.
There are many Canadians with serious mental illness who, experts say, are missing out on benefits and tax breaks because of the way doctors interpret CRA requirements, which can seem to favour the physical over the psychological.
Dr. Ariel Shafro, a psychiatrist who has treated Gardner, says the criteria for the Disability Tax Credit does not reflect the way in which people with severe mental illness experience impairments.
CRA language aside, there can be problems when it comes to defining what constitutes a disability.
The CRAs requirements state that a persons condition must restrict their abilities at least 90 percent of the time.