Bipolar Disorder — Depression — Anxiety — Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Please schedule a free initial consultation with a Chicago Social Security Disability lawyer today. You may contact our firm online or you may reach us by phone at 888-529-0600.
Experienced Chicago Area SSDI And SSI Attorneys
At the Des Plaines, Illinois, law firm of our attorneys have served SSDI and SSI claimants in Chicago, Illinois, and across the nation. We have assisted numerous clients in pursuing successful Social Security Disability.
While the application process for SSDI and SSI is intended to allow claimants to handle their own claims, especially as they relate to listed impairments such as mental illness, only 35 percent of SSDI and SSI applications are approved at their initial filing. As experienced Social Security Disability lawyers, we understand the application process, what information needs to be presented, and how to fill out application forms for mental illness including bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Social Security Disability Insurance And Mental Illness
Even people who are diagnosed with mental illnesses by medical professionals, such as psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses or psychiatric social workers, need to present evidence of the severity of their mental illnesses and their impaired ability to function. Common sources of medical evidence for mental illness include information from the individual, work attempts, mental status examinations, psychological testing, and other information provided by professional health care providers and family members.
In addition, to qualify for SSDI or SSI, it is often necessary to provide information related to the effects of medication on mental illness. Many drugs used to treat mental illness control symptoms such as hallucinations, impaired attention, restlessness or hyperactivity. However, that does not necessarily eliminate the functional limitation of the individual with a mental illness such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Assessing Mental Illness For The Purpose Of SSDI And SSI
Simply being diagnosed with a mental illness is not enough to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. The Social Security Administration takes several factors into consideration before granting Social Security Disability benefits of Supplemental Security Income benefits. These factors include the following:
- Activities of daily living, including adaptive activities such as cleaning, shopping, cooking, taking public transportation, paying bills, maintaining a residence, caring appropriately for your grooming and hygiene, using telephones and directories, and using a post office
- Social functioning, such as your capacity to interact independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis with other individuals
- Concentration, persistence or pace, such as the ability to sustain focused attention and concentration sufficiently long enough to permit the timely and appropriate completion of tasks commonly found in work settings
- Episodes of decompensation, including exacerbations or temporary increases in symptoms or signs accompanied by a loss of adaptive functioning, as manifested by difficulties in performing activities of daily living, maintaining social relationships, or maintaining concentration, persistence or pace
At The Law Offices of Jeffrey A Rabin & Associates, Ltd., we have the knowledge, skill and experience to help individuals and families dealing with mental illness get SSDI or SSI benefits.
