How To Get Short-Term Disability Approved for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental disorders. At least 30% of adults will, at some time during their lives, be affected by an anxiety disorder. Depression is equally as common with at least 17 million people living with depression symptoms that affect their ability to engage in normal daily activities, including affecting their ability to work.


If you cannot work and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, you may be eligible to have your short-term disability approved for anxiety or depression. A short-term disability insurance policy that you purchase on your own or as an employment benefit provided and paid for by your employer may offer benefits for disability caused by depression and anxiety.


How to get short-term disability approved for anxiety


A normal response to a stressful situation may be fear or nervousness, but someone with an anxiety disorder may experience emotional responses that cause them to withdraw and be unable to function. Symptoms that may indicate that you have an anxiety disorder include:


How to get short-term disability approved for anxiety

There are different types of anxiety disorders, including:


  • 1). Generalized anxiety disorder
  • 2). Separation anxiety disorder
  • 3). Panic disorder
  • 4). Social anxiety disorder

The first step to take to have short-term disability approved for benefits is to speak with a physician or mental health professional. You’ll need an evaluation and diagnosis of the condition along with a prescribed treatment plan. Anxiety disorders are treatable, but you must follow the treatment plan as prescribed by your medical professional.


Short-term disability for depression


Depression affects each person differently, but the lowing are some of the commonly experienced symptoms:


Short-term disability for depression

Symptoms of depression may be severe enough to interfere with your ability or desire to engage in normal day-to-day activities, including an inability to perform those activities required to do your job.


If you have any symptoms, the first step toward having short-term disability approved for depression is to be evaluated by a physician, such as a psychiatrist, or other health care professional who specializes in mental health disorders. You need a diagnosis and treatment plan in order to apply for and be approved for short-term disability for depression. The mental health professional treating you should also include in your medical record’s specific details about how your depression affects your ability to work.


Proving a claim for short-term disability insurance benefits


Whether you have an anxiety disorder, depression, or have both, the insurance company that issued the short-term disability policy will review your medical records. In addition to a treatment plan prescribed by the mental health professional who evaluated and diagnosed your condition, the records should include details about how it causes a disability that prevents you from working.


Keep in mind that short-term disability benefits are approved and paid according to the terms of the policy that you purchased or that your employer acquired for the benefit of you and other employees. Some policies may not pay for benefits for disabilities caused by mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Have a disability lawyer at London Eligibility review the terms of your short-term disability insurance policy to determine whether it pays benefits for depression or anxiety and the amount and duration of benefits if it does.


Another benefit of talking to a disability lawyer about your benefits claim is to determine whether you qualify for other forms for disability benefits, including benefits through long-term disability insurance policies or through Social Security disability. Social Security disability and many long-term disability plans do not pay benefits for physical or mental health impairments that are not expected to last for at least 12 months.


Talk to a short-term disability lawyer


If you have been diagnosed as having an anxiety disorder or depression that interferes with your ability to perform work-related activities, you should consider filing a claim to have the short-term disability approved for depression or for an anxiety disorder. A disability lawyer at London Eligibility will help you by reviewing the medical documentation supporting your claim to determine the options available for you to receive disability benefits. The lawyer also can assist you through the claim process, including challenging a denial of benefits.


Contact London Eligibility today to schedule a free disability benefits consultation with one of our disability lawyers. If it turns out that you have a long-term mental health condition expected to last for at least 12 months, we can help you submit an application for Social Security disability benefits.