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As Mental Health Awareness Month, July is perhaps the most appropriate time for reviewing the types of mental diseases and disorders that qualify under the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) guidelines for disability benefits. There are a number of conditions that can meet the SSA’s guidelines, though it’s important to understand that there are condition-specific eligibility requirements as well as general disability requirements that the SSA applies to every application for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits.

General Disability Requirements

Any application for SSD benefits must meet certain basic requirements in order to be found eligible for benefits regardless of the type of disability driving the application. The applicant must have a condition that:

• Prevents him/her from holding gainful employment,
• Is expected to last 12 or more consecutive months and/or result in death, and
• Can be proven under standard medical documentation practices.

Condition-Specific Disability Requirements

Every application for SSD benefits must contain thorough medical documentation supporting the claim for disability. That documentation should include letters from treating physicians and mental health service providers as well as medical records. Medical records should include any and all disability-related test results, treatments undertaken, and any other pertinent details related to the diagnosis, management and outlook for the condition.

Each mental illness and disorder recognized under the SSA’s guidelines has specific criteria that must be met in order to qualify for SSD benefits. The condition-specific definitions for each potentially eligible condition can be found on the SSA’s website.

What Conditions are covered Under SSD?

There are many different categories of mental illnesses and disorders that may qualify for SSD benefits. The following conditions are generally considered eligible under the SSA’s guidelines, though applicants must still meet the general disability requirements and condition-specific criteria before receiving disability benefits.

• Organic Mental Disorders
• Psychotic Disorders, including Paranoid and Schizophrenic Conditions
• Affective Disorders
• Mental Retardation
• Anxiety Disorders and Related Conditions
• Somatoform Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Substance Addictive Disorders
• Autistic Disorders and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Supporting the Claim for SSD with a Mental Illness or Disorder

Again, each condition in the SSA’s Blue Book list (standard list of potentially disabling conditions) has specific criteria which must be met in order for an SSD application to adequately support a claim for disability benefits. For this reason, it’s essential that the applicant work closely with his or her mental health care provider(s) and other treating physicians in order to effectively document the disability and substantiate the claim for SSD benefits.

Substantiating any medical condition under the SSA’s eligibility guidelines can be challenging, but supporting a claim with a mental illness or disorder diagnosis can be even more complex, especially given the fact that many mental health issues affect each individual differently. Having legal assistance when filing an SSD application can be helpful, particularly in cases where mental illness is the primary reason for the disability.

A Social Security lawyer accustomed to working on mental health-related SSD claims can help put together a more thorough case file and adequately detailed application for disability benefits. In the process, he or she can help increase the chances of the application being approved as well.

The number of pending initial claims for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits has been backlogged for some years, but with the record setting 230,000 new applications for SSD received by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in May 2012, the wait time for reviews to be completed and eligibility determinations to be made is expected to increase significantly. In fact, the SSA anticipates pending claims to reach more than 860,000 before the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30, 2012) and more than 1.1 million by the end of the 2013 fiscal year (Sept. 30, 2013).

The number of individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits has hit a record high. Beginning in 2008 and continuing through to the present, the number of new applicants for SSDI benefits has increased substantially, with 2.8 million Americans applying for benefits in 2008 and 2009. That was a 21 percent increase in applications from 2007. It should come as no surprise then that the more than 10 million Americans now receiving disability benefits also sets a record high.

U.S. Congressman Allen West, a Florida republican with Tea Party ties, has found himself in the national spotlight several times over the past few weeks for comments in which he equates Social Security Disability with slavery.

The Social Security Administration (SSA), like every other government agency, adheres to a strict non-discrimination policy. Hence, gender does not play a role in the official review and approval process for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits.

Disability claims are reviewed based on medical documentation present in the application. While personal information, like age, sex and marital status are essential pieces of data required for application for SSD benefits, these factors are not a part of the determination of eligibility to receive benefits. Rather, eligibility is based on whether the extent of physical, mental and emotional impairment the applicant suffers warrants disability benefits under the SSA’s eligibility guidelines.

Additionally, work credits are a big part of eligibility for Social Security, including retirement and disability benefits. In order to be the primary beneficiary in either of these categories, an individual must have earned wages and contributed to the Social Security Disability funds over the course of their employment.

When reviewing aggregate data or statistics for disability beneficiaries, it may appear to the untrained eye that gender does play a part in approval of disability benefits. After all, the most current figures published (2010 totals) show that men receive disability and retirement benefits more often than do women and that women are more likely to receive survivor benefits than men.

The 2010 data for all Social Security benefits breaks down as follows. Figures are based on percentages of total beneficiaries by sex.

Adult Male Beneficiaries

Receiving Disability Benefits - 20%

Receiving Retirement Benefits - 80%

Total Percentage of Adult Males Receiving Benefits - 44%

Adult Female Beneficiaries

Receiving Disability Benefits - 14%

Receiving Retirement Benefits - 61%

Receiving Survivor Benefits as Widows and Mothers of Workers Deceased Before the Age of Retirement or the Approval of Disability Benefits - 16%

Receiving Survivor Benefits as Spouses of Retired or Disabled Workers - 9%

Total Percentage of Adult Females Receiving Benefits - 56%

While gender does not play a part in the approval for disability benefits, it is a factor in societal norms. After all, in decades past, women were significantly less likely to work outside of the home as wage earners. This means they were less likely to contribute to the disability funds, making them more often ineligible to receive benefits as the primary beneficiary for Social Security Insurance and SSD benefits. Instead, they usually received survivor benefits when their spouse or child died.

Societal norms also drive the figures associated with male beneficiaries, as men are less likely to stop working when partially disabled, and less likely to file for disability or survivor benefits in general. Men also made up the primary group within the workforce for many decades, which is why 80 percent of males receiving Social Security benefits are retired workers.

If you only review the data on adult male and female beneficiaries receiving Social Security benefits in particular categories, it may at first appear there is a significant difference between the sexes. However, when you look at total beneficiaries by sex, the difference between males and females is much smaller, with males making up 56% and females accounting for 44% of the total beneficiaries receiving Social Security.

The percentages of male and female disabled workers approved for disability benefits by the SSA also shows there is no significant difference between the sexes, with men receiving SSD benefits at 20% and women at 14%. The distinction again is due to societal norms. More men were wage earners prior to becoming disabled. Fewer women were among the workforce prior to becoming disabled. Disability benefits are based on previous earnings as a worker who contributed to the SSD fund prior to disability. In essence, a higher percentage of men contributed to the fund and therefore qualify for SSD benefits.