Acute anxiety that interferes with your daily professional obligations can make you eligible to receive financial assistance under the SSDI program managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Feeling anxious typically does not qualify a worker to receive Social Security Disability insurance (SSDI) benefits. The occasional feeling of fear for the future represents a common feeling for virtually every professional. When anxiety morphs into a disorder that triggers mental, physical, and emotional symptoms, then a worker might experience on-the-job issues that make it difficult, if not impossible to cope with the daily responsibilities presented in the workplace.
Financial Assistance for an Anxiety Disorder
SSDI helps professionals suffering from a disabling medical condition pay for healthcare expenses, as well as the lost wages that come from missing work because of a disabling disease or illness. If you qualify for SSDI benefits, it means you cannot work in the current position that you hold.
However, the goal of the SSA is to find work you can perform while dealing with a disabling medical condition. One of the benefits of applying for SSDI is recipients receive annual cost-of-living modifications, as well as survivor and retirement benefits for themselves and their family members.
Severe anxiety disorders such as phobias and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) might make you eligible for SSDI benefits. The SSA refers to a medical guide called the Blue Book to determine eligibility for financial assistance.
Anxiety disorders fall under the listing for eligible medical conditions in Section 12.06 of the Blue Book. Because it can be difficult to prove the presence of an anxiety disorder, most applicants for SSDI do not receive claim approval from the SSA for suffering from a serious anxiety disorder.
Medicare and SSDI
If you receive SSDI benefits and have turned 65 years old, do you continue with SSDI or do you make the transition to Medicare benefits? The answer to the question is to continue receiving financial assistance from the SSDI program. SSDI does a better job of delivering financial assistance for someone suffering from an acute anxiety disorder.
In addition to receiving more financial assistance, federal law requires seniors that are eligible for Medicare to wait until they turn 67 years old to qualify for benefits from the senior healthcare program. Waiting two years might lead to a senior worker deciding to retire, which means SSDI no longer represents an option to receive financial assistance for an anxiety disorder.
Getting Back to Work
Getting back to work while on SSDI benefits is accomplished when you participate in one of two programs run by the SSA. If an anxiety disorder has prevented you from working your current job, enrolling in a program such as Ticket to Work or Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) can help you discover a new career that minimizes the effect of anxiety symptoms.
You receive occupational training for a new professional role that does not trigger severe anxiety. The SSA back-to-work programs also provide financial resources for disabled workers that want to re-enter the job market.
Contact a Social Security Disability Attorney
Because the SSA denies a majority of claims for SSDI benefits, you should speak with a Social Security lawyer to determine how you can submit the most convincing claim for SSDI benefits. An attorney can help you submit medical records, as well as documents provided by your employer that show the amount of time you have missed from work.
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