The Social Security Disability Insurance program, typically referred to by its acronym "SSDI," offers financial compensation for qualified disabled workers who can no longer hold down a job. To qualify for the program's benefits, a worker must prove that they have a debilitating physical or mental condition. This article examines some of the key considerations that anyone hoping to be approved based on a mental illness should keep in mind.
Mental Residual Functional Capacity
Mental residual functional capacity, or mental RFC, is a crucial metric that the Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers SSDI, uses to determine an applicant's eligibility for benefits. The mental RFC assessment is a way for the SSA to decide whether your mental illness prevents you from carrying out any gainful employment.
After examining your mental condition in various areas of mental functioning, such as intellectual ability and social skills, your capacity in each area is graded. The five grades used are none, mild, moderate, marked, and extreme. If you receive a grade of mild in intellectual ability, for example, your functioning in this area is only slightly limited. If you received a grade of marked, however, your functioning is significantly limited.
Typically, applicants need a grade of marked in one or more areas of functioning to gain approval for SSDI benefits.
Consultative Examination
In addition to the mental RFC assessment, which every applicant claiming mental impairment must undergo, the SSA may also require you to submit to a psychological evaluation by a mental health professional of their choosing. This testing is known as a consultative evaluation and typically involves taking an IQ test.
Some people attempt to game the system by performing below their actual abilities on the consultative examination, but this is a bad idea. The trained professionals performing these evaluations are very good at determining who is faking and who is not.
Drugs and Alcohol
Many people with mental health issues also have problems with drugs and alcohol. Fortunately, having drug and alcohol issues in addition to your mental illness does not disqualify you from getting SSDI. You need to show the SSA, however, that your mental impairment would exist even if you did not abuse drugs or alcohol.
Getting approval for SSDI benefits is not an easy task in many cases. The rules and regulations are quite complicated, which makes it difficult for the average person to go through the process successfully without expert assistance.
To learn more, contact a disability insurance claim lawyer.
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