You may be eligible for mental health disability pay when the mental impairment interferes with your ability to work. The Social Security Administration Listing of Impairments, which is commonly referred to as the “Blue Book,” contains several categories of mental health disorders considered by the SSA as being severe enough to meet the definition of disability that it uses to determine eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits.

If you suspect that a mental disorder is affecting your ability to work, your first step in the process of obtaining disability benefits is to schedule an appointment with a psychologist, psychiatrist or other mental health professional for an evaluation, diagnosis and recommended course of treatment. You also should contact a disability lawyer or disability advocate at London Eligibility for advice and representation to help to get you through what can be a difficult process that approves fewer than one-third of the applications seeking disability benefits for physical and mental impairments.

How much does mental health disability pay?

The amount that a person qualifying for benefits could expect for disability pay 2021 was $586 per month through the SSI program. If you had a work history with a record of paying Social Security taxes on the earnings that qualified you for benefits through the SSDI program, the disability pay 2021 for beneficiaries averaged $1,277 per month.

SSDI benefits that you receive each month are determined, in part, by how much you earned at jobs or through self-employment over the course of your lifetime. Only earnings subject to payment of Social Security payroll taxes count. The maximum benefit that you could receive in 2021 was $3,148 per month.

Keep in mind that SSI and SSDI benefits are subject to annual cost-of-living adjustments. The mental health disability benefits have increased since 2021 because of annual COLA. For example, The maximum SSDI benefit each month for 2022 is $3,345 and the average monthly benefit is $1,358. The monthly SSI benefit has increased to $841 per month for an individual beneficiary.

COLA will cause monthly mental health disability payments to increase in 2023. SSI beneficiaries can receive $914 per month beginning January 2023. Someone who qualifies for SSDI can expect the average monthly payment under the program to increase to $1,483 and the maximum monthly payment to be $3,627.

What mental health disorders qualify for disability pay?

Qualifying for disability benefits through SSI and SSDI requires proof that you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity. The condition must be severe, which means that it must have lasted or be expected to last for at least 12 months or be expected to cause death.

The SSA recognizes several types of mental health conditions as being severe enough to meet the disability definition it uses to determine whether to approve an application for disability benefits. The different mental health conditions can be found in the Listing of Impairments, which people frequently refer to as the “Blue Book.”

Some of the categories of mental health disorders and listed mental health impairments within each of them include the following:

• 1). Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and delusional disorder.
• 2). Neurocognitive disorders, including dementia caused by a medical condition, Alzheimer’s disease, and vascular dementia.
• 3). Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• 4). Depressive disorders, including bipolar disorder and depression.
• 5). Eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia.
• 6). Trauma disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
• 7). Neurodevelopmental disorders, including learning disorders, Tourette syndrome, and borderline intellectual functioning.

Autism spectrum and personality disorders are other categories of mental health disorders found in the Blue book.

If you have a mental disorder that does not match or equal one contained in the Blue Book, you may qualify for benefits by proving that the condition satisfies the definition of disability used by the SSA. This is accomplished with medical records that include a diagnosis of the disorder based on a clinical evaluation and appropriate testing by a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional.

The medical records should include a treatment plan prescribed for you and evidence proving that you complied with the plan. Failing to keep appointments with your medical provider or not following the prescribed course of treatment may result in your claim for disability benefits being denied.

Contact a mental health disability lawyer

Filing an initial claim for disability benefits can be a challenge under the best of circumstances, but it becomes even worse when a claimant has the added burden of going through treatment for a mental health disorder. When you need help getting the disability benefits that you desperately need and deserve, a disability advocate and disability lawyer at London Eligibility is there for you. Contact us today for a free consultation and claim evaluation.