Can You Get Disability Benefits for PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, can make it difficult to get through the day. PTSD is a common psychiatric condition that causes symptoms of panic, sleep disruption, flashbacks, and depression as a result of severe trauma. People who struggle with PTSD also frequently struggle to hold down jobs or perform daily functions. These issues typically result from symptoms like feelings of intense fear, flashbacks, avoidance, and negative emotions such as fear, anger, guilt, or shame.
- PTSD can qualify for SSDI if it significantly impairs your ability to work and meet the Social Security Administration’s criteria.
- Applicants may need extensive medical documentation showing severe and lasting symptoms to meet SSDI eligibility.
- If PTSD does not meet SSDI’s specific requirements, a medical-vocational allowance may be granted based on functional limitations.
- Veterans with PTSD may also qualify for VA disability benefits, which have separate criteria from SSDI.
- Disability Advice offers guidance for those applying for SSDI or appealing a denial to improve chances of approval.
If you cannot work because of your PTSD, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, or SSDI. However, getting started with an application may seem daunting. An experienced disability attorney, like the lawyers at Disability Advice, can assist you with the application process and help you get approved for SSDI the first time.
Can You Receive Disability Benefits for PTSD?
Yes, you can receive SSDI benefits for PTSD. However, it can be difficult to qualify for a psychiatric disability of any type. Applicants with conditions related to their PTSD, like insomnia, depression, or other commonly comorbid disorders, often have a better chance of qualifying for SSDI benefits.
If your PTSD doesn’t prevent you from holding a job, or if you earn more than the monthly limit for “substantial gainful activity,” then you likely aren’t eligible for benefits. For your PTSD to be considered a disability, it must be a serious condition that persists over time and significantly impacts your ability to hold a job.
How the SSA Determines if Your PTSD Qualifies as a Disability
To qualify for SSDI based on your PTSD, the Social Security Administration must find you have a persistent disorder that meets their qualifying criteria and are unable to perform substantial gainful activity due to your condition. You also must have a sufficient work history and have accrued enough work credits by paying payroll taxes into the system.
The severity of your disability, the relevant impairment listing in the SSA’s Blue Book, your current earnings, and your overall employment capacity, including any types of work you can still perform, are all determining factors for the SSA in deciding whether you qualify for SSDI.
PTSD Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for SSDI, you must first provide medical documentation of a “trauma- or stressor-related disorder” such as PTSD. The evidence must establish the symptoms described in the Blue Book listing for PTSD.
In addition, you must demonstrate either of the following:
- You experience "extreme limitation" of one or "marked limitation" of two areas of mental functioning, including memory and comprehension, social interaction, concentration, and adaptation, OR
- Your PTSD is "serious and persistent," documented for at least two years with evidence both of medical treatment for the disorder and little to no improvement resulting from treatment.
Mental Residual Functional Capacity Assessment for PTSD
To receive disability benefits for a psychiatric disability, you must submit a Mental Residual Functional Capacity Assessment form completed by a doctor or medical professional to the SSA. When completing the form, the medical provider evaluates the limitations of your daily functioning and what types of work, if any, your PTSD allows you to perform in your current condition. The Residual Functional Capacity assessment, Or RFC, analyzes your memory, concentration, adaptation, and social interaction skills.
Medical-Vocational Allowance for PTSD
PTSD is a “listed impairment” in the SSA’s Blue Book. The Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments, also known as its Blue Book, is a comprehensive listing of medical conditions that qualify as disabilities. The listings provide the required criteria for each listed impairment. Generally, applicants must establish their conditions meet the Blue Book’s criteria to win approval for SSDI.
However, many people with legitimately disabling disorders do not meet the Blue Book standards for their disability. In such cases, they may instead qualify for benefits through a “medical-vocational allowance.” The medical-vocational allowance is approved when a person’s functional limitations, or how their conditions limit their ability to perform daily tasks, is determined to be disabling to the same degree as a qualifying listed impairment.
The RFC assessment is the SSA’s primary means of determining eligibility for a medical-vocational allowance. For PTSD, you will need to undergo a mental RFC assessment and likely must also provide a physical RFC assessment. The SSA uses these assessments to determine whether you can still do the job you left due to your disability or, if not, whether you can do any other job in the national economy. If you cannot perform any work at all—either in an old job or a new position—you’ll likely qualify for a medical-vocational allowance.
Receiving SSDI for PTSD
The maximum monthly benefit in 2024 is $3,822. However, most people receive much less. The average monthly SSDI benefit in 2024 is $1,537.
Your average past earnings determine the amount you can receive in SSDI benefits. The SSA determines this average based on the 35 highest-earning years of your career. If you’ve worked for fewer than 35 years, the SSA will take the average of your lifetime work history. The SSA then adjusts this average for inflation. The resulting number is your average indexed monthly earnings, or AIME.
The SSA uses your AIME to calculate the full amount of your retirement benefit, or primary insurance amount, which is rounded down to the nearest dollar to determine your monthly SSDI benefit payout. You can calculate the monthly payout you may be eligible for using our SSDI benefits calculator.
You can continue to work while receiving SSDI benefits. However, your monthly earnings must fall below the SGA limit for SSDI, which is $1,550 per month in 2024. If you are blind, this limit increases to $2,590.
Is There a Difference Between SSI and SSDI for PTSD?
Supplemental Security Income benefits, or SSI, is a needs-based program for those with little to no income who are 65 or cannot work because of a disabling condition. To qualify, you must have limited income and resources and a disability meeting the same criteria required for SSDI.
Eligibility is based on household income and resources rather than individual income. Beneficiaries are not required to have a work history or a certain number of work credits to qualify.
Applying for SSDI for PTSD
You can apply for SSDI benefits for PTSD online on the SSA website. You can also apply over the phone or in person at your local SSA office.
To apply for SSDI, you must gather proof of identity, financial information, medical records, and work history documentation. You’ll likely need to include a birth certificate, workers’ compensation paperwork, medical records, and W-2 forms, among other forms of documentation, when you apply.
While you are not required to have legal representation, an attorney can help ensure you have sufficient documentation and give you the best shot at approval on your first application.
VA Disability for Veterans With PTSD
Veterans with PTSD may qualify for VA disability benefits. These benefits have different eligibility criteria than Social Security benefits, and veterans are compensated based on the severity of their conditions. Your disability must be service-connected, meaning it was caused or exacerbated by active military duty. If your VA claim was denied, Disability Advice can help.
Need Help Applying for SSDI or Appealing a Denial?
If you need help applying for SSDI or have recently received a denial of benefits, Disability Advice can help. SSDI claims are rejected for many reasons, and most applicants are denied on the first try. Disability Advice can connect you with experienced professionals who can help you file the strongest claim possible and represent you on appeal.
- Free case evaluation
- Assist with denied claims
- Ensure you have all documents
- Make the process easy for you
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