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CAN’T WORK BECAUSE OF DEPRESSION? FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY.
Depression comes in many forms, with varying symptoms and causes, but one thing is always true: it’s miserable and can have far-reaching effects on your life.
Depression can be a natural, short-term response to a painful event. It can also be something you can’t shake off with time.
If you have depression that lasts long enough and is severe enough to make working impossible, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
A monthly benefits check would go a long way toward easing your financial burdens and protecting your family’s future, so you can concentrate on getting the treatment you need and improving your own well-being.
You can get help on your path to better times from Baynetta M. Jordan, P.C., Attorney at Law. She has guided thousands of Texans through the complicated process of securing disability benefits.
And she does it with care and understanding for people such as yourself, whose lives have been disrupted by mental or physical health problems.
Our disability law firm helps people Lubbock, Plainview, Levelland, Midland-Odessa, and anywhere in West Texas.
When people are up against an unfeeling government process, we make sure that, “Nobody Pushes West Texans Around™.”
YOUR DOCTOR SAYS YOU HAVE DEPRESSION, BUT WHAT WILL SOCIAL SECURITY SAY?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has very detailed rules concerning disability benefits eligibility. It’s important to note that while your physician might have told you that you meet the conditions for depression, that alone won’t be enough to win Social Security Disability benefits.
The Medical Definition of Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), if you’ve been experiencing specific signs and symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, you may be suffering from depression. Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- Persistent sad, anxious or empty mood
- Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
- Irritability
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
Social Security’s Definition of Depression
Social Security has a different way of looking at medical conditions—through the lens of your ability to work.
If your depression has made it impossible for you to work for a year or more, or it’s clear that it will, you may qualify for benefits.
To prove that to Social Security, you’ll have to show them you have an extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning:
- Understanding, remembering or applying information
- Interacting with others
- Concentrating, persisting or maintaining pace
- Adapting or managing yourself
You don’t have to wonder whether your case of depression may qualify you for financial assistance from disability benefits.
You can get an experienced disability lawyer to look at your situation and give you an idea of what your claim will take.
Another Way to Qualify for Social Security Disability with Depression
Social Security also recognizes depression that is “serious and persistent.”
This is when you have a medically documented history of the disorder over a period of at least two years, and there is evidence of both:
- Medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial supports or a highly structured setting that is ongoing and that diminishes the symptoms and signs of your mental disorder
- And you have “marginal adjustment.” That is, you have minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life.
Applying for disability benefits with depression involves submitting medical records from your treatment efforts, and other evidence such as statements from people who know you about how depression affects your daily life.
But you don’t have to do all the legwork.
Your disability attorney can take that burden off of you.
BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH A DISABILITY LAWYER ON YOUR CLAIM FOR DEPRESSION
The government makes this process hard. But your Social Security Disability lawyer’s job is to make it easier for you.
This is what you can get when you work with a lawyer on your disability claim for depression:
- Improve your odds of success: Disability benefits aren’t easy to get. Regardless of the impairment, more than two-thirds of initial applications are rejected. An experienced Social Security Disability lawyer who knows the process through and through—the rules, the players and what’s required to prove disability—can help you get the benefits you deserve.
- Get help with evidence and preparation: There’s a lot of paperwork involved in the claims process, from the application itself to medical documentation and more. An attorney can make sure you’ve dotted all your I’s and crossed all your T’s, and that your health care providers have given you exactly the right materials to help your case.
- Save time: After your initial application, it takes three to five months for Social Security to reach a decision and notify you. The last thing you want is a problem with your application that delays your benefits more.
Getting a lawyer to help with your Social Security Disability claim is also low-risk for you because in disability cases, you pay no attorney fee until you win benefits.
If you’re from West Texas and you need help with benefit get in touch with Baynetta M. Jordan, P.C., Attorney at Law.