David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Do You Qualify for Social Security Disability Pay?
by Joe Kraynak
November 11, 2008
Most people, including those who have been diagnosed bipolar, don?t like to think of themselves as disabled, especially given the fact that people with bipolar disorder often tend to be over achievers. During severe episodes of depression or mania, however, dealing with the illness can make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to hold down a job, at least until you?re able to achieve some mood stability.
During these often debilitating mood episodes, it doesn?t hurt to have some disability pay flowing your way ? in the form of Social Security disability payments ? to tide you over. You may wonder, however, whether you qualify for social security disability. Here?s the five-step process that the SSA uses to determine whether a person is disabled:
Information about how to apply for disability benefits is also available on the Internet at the following address: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.html
by Joe Kraynak
November 11, 2008
Most people, including those who have been diagnosed bipolar, don?t like to think of themselves as disabled, especially given the fact that people with bipolar disorder often tend to be over achievers. During severe episodes of depression or mania, however, dealing with the illness can make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to hold down a job, at least until you?re able to achieve some mood stability.
During these often debilitating mood episodes, it doesn?t hurt to have some disability pay flowing your way ? in the form of Social Security disability payments ? to tide you over. You may wonder, however, whether you qualify for social security disability. Here?s the five-step process that the SSA uses to determine whether a person is disabled:
- You are working and earning more than $900 per month. If you are working and your earnings average more than $900 per month after allowable deductions, you generally will not be considered disabled. If you are not working, or are earning less than $900 per month, the SSA looks at your medical condition.
- Your medical condition is ?severe.? For the SSA to consider you disabled, your impairment or combination of impairments must significantly limit your physical or mental ability to do basic work activities ? such as walking, sitting, seeing, and remembering ? for at least one year. If your medical condition is not that severe, you will not be considered disabled. If it is that severe, the SSA goes to the next step.
- Your medical condition is found on the Listing of Impairments. The SSA has a Listing of Impairments that describes medical conditions considered to be very severe. If your condition, based on your impairment or combination of impairments, is not on this list, the SSA then decides whether it is as severe as a condition that is on the list. If it is, then the SSA will decide that you are disabled. If it is not, the SSA prepares an assessment of what your medical condition still allows you to do and proceeds to the next step.
- You can do the work you did before. At this step, the SSA decides whether your medical condition prevents you from being able to do the work you did before you stopped working. If it does not, they will decide that you are not disabled. If it does, the SSA goes on to the next step.
- You can do any other type of work. If you cannot do the work you did in the past, the SSA looks at the evidence to see if you would be able to do other work. In this step, the SSA considers your medical condition and your age, education, past work experience, and any transferable skills you may have. If you cannot do other work, the SSA will decide that you are disabled. If you can do other work, the SSA will decide that you are not disabled.
Information about how to apply for disability benefits is also available on the Internet at the following address: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.html
