What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, occurs when someone experiences or witnesses a traumatic event, or learning of a traumatic event occurring to a close family member or close friend.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
Symptoms of PTSD may include distressing memories, dreams and flashbacks related to the trauma, avoiding things or people who may trigger the memories, diminished interest or participation in family or work activities, persistent fear or anger, irritability, aggression, exaggerated startle response and difficulty concentrating and sleeping.
Can you qualify for Social Security disability benefits with PTSD?
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) and/or Supplemental Security Income(SSI) benefits for PTSD, the Social Security Administration (SSA) requires medical documentation of each of the following:
- Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or violence
- Subsequent involuntary re-experiencing of the event through dreams, flashbacks or intrusive thoughts
- Avoidance of external reminders of thee event
- Disturbance in mood or behavior
- Increase in arousal and reactivity such as exaggerated startle response and sleep disturbance, like nightmares and nightsweats
SSA will also examine how your PTSD affects your ability to function in areas such as:
- Your ability to understand and remember information for a work activity
- Your ability to interact with others
- Your ability to concentrate and persist at a work task
- Your ability to adapt or manage yourself
How can Balin Law help?
Balin Law can help you win your case by assembling the medical records, mental health therapy records, prescribed medications and possible side-effects of medications used to treat your PTSD symptoms. Having a diagnosis alone of PTSD is not determinative; the severity of the functional limitations arising from the impairment is what is critical.
We are very skilled in developing your claim early on, so that we can fully explore any inability to focus and work on a continuous and sustained basis. Applying for SSD/SSI benefits, for any reason, is very stressful and Balin Law can help relieve that stress and help you navigate a very complicated process so that you can win your claim as early as possible.