Anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be crippling disabilities that prevent you from working. However, to receive benefits for anxiety or PTSD, you must meet stringent guidelines. Below, we look at securing mental health disability in Oklahoma City.
You Must Meet Specific Criteria to Receive Disability Benefits in Oklahoma City for a Mental Disorder
The Social Security Administration (SSA) categorizes anxiety and PTSD as mental disorders. You will need to prove a mental health disability to receive benefits. To establish a disability, you must meet the criteria the SSA determines to receive disability benefits.
The symptoms you experience due to the disorder must significantly impair and limit your ability to perform gainful activities. The disability must also be long-lasting and reduce your capacity to adapt to changes and demands in your environment.
The disorder must also reduce areas of cognitive functioning, such as comprehending, applying, and retaining information. Your mental functioning prevents you from interacting with others. You also suffer from the inability to adapt or manage yourself, or lack the ability to concentrate, persist, or maintain pace.
Additional Requirements to Receive Disability Benefits for Anxiety or PTSD
You need to pay into the Social Security system to receive credits from the administration. Deductions come out of your paycheck. You may earn up to four work credits annually.
The age at which you become disabled determines the number of work credits you need to receive disability benefits. The number of years you work before experiencing a disability also counts. Earning $1,810 in covered earnings equals one Social Security and one Medicare credit. Getting the maximum of four credits per year requires you to earn $7.240.
What Evidence is Proof of a Mental Health Disability in Oklahoma City?
The SSA will review evidence to support a claim that you suffer significant impairment from anxiety or PTSD. Evidence may come from your doctor, mental health expert, or other medical sources that support your claim and may include:
- Medical records containing physical and mental evaluations and providers’ findings
- Pharmacy records indicating medications you take to treat anxiety or PTSD and their impact on you
- Observational records from therapy
- Lab results, imaging, and psychological test results
Vocational training, school records, and work-related programs you participate in may support your disability claim. Using testimony from people who witness the impact of a mental health disability on your life may also occur. Documentation will need to be as thorough as possible to support your claim. Getting disability benefits for an anxiety disorder is challenging but possible.
What Happens if I Receive a Denial of Disability Benefits in Oklahoma City?
You may appeal the court’s decision to deny you disability benefits in Oklahoma City. Legal guidance and advocacy when you apply for disability benefits for anxiety or PTSD may prevent a denial. However, the court may determine that your mental disorder does not meet the criteria for receiving benefits. Other reasons for denying your disability benefits may include:
- A lack of documentation or missing medical evidence
- You miss the court’s deadlines
- Forms are incomplete
Having an initial application for benefits denied is not the end of the road. An appeal supported by thorough documentation can help you receive necessary benefits. Get assistance with applying for disability benefits or appealing a denial of benefits in Oklahoma City if you experience anxiety or PTSD.