Getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for anxiety can be challenging, but not impossible. Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions that cause excessive worry, fear, and nervousness that impacts daily functioning. Since anxiety is an “invisible” illness without obvious physical symptoms, proving it’s disabling enough for SSI can be difficult. However, with the right medical evidence and legal advocacy, many people with severe anxiety do ultimately get approved for benefits.
What medical conditions qualify for SSI disability benefits?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a list of impairments that can potentially qualify someone for disability benefits. Anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, PTSD, and phobias are included in the SSA’s “blue book” listing of qualifying impairments. To get SSI for anxiety, your diagnosis and symptoms must precisely match the blue book criteria.
Specifically, the SSA looks for anxiety that causes at least two of the following:
- Marked restriction in activities of daily living
- Marked difficulties maintaining social functioning
- Marked difficulties maintaining concentration, persistence, or pace
- Repeated episodes of decompensation, each of extended duration
This level of impairment indicates that your anxiety prevents you from doing basic life tasks without significant assistance. So even severe anxiety is not necessarily disabling per the SSA’s definition.
What medical evidence do you need to get SSI for anxiety?
Getting SSI approved requires having strong medical documentation of your anxiety disorder and its disabling effects. The SSA looks for:
- Records of mental health counseling and psychiatric treatment
- Positive results on clinical anxiety assessments
- Information on your anxiety symptoms and their severity
- A statement from your doctor explaining how anxiety impairs basic functioning
- Medical opinions stating you cannot work due to anxiety
Lab tests, like brain scans showing abnormal patterns, can also help prove a medical basis for anxiety. Medication lists, hospitalization records, and third party letters describing how anxiety affects you may support your case too.
What steps are involved in the SSI application process?
Applying for SSI based on anxiety involves the following steps:
- Initial application – You can apply for SSI online or in-person at your local Social Security office. Be prepared to give information on your anxiety history, treatment, hospitalizations, living situation, work attempts, and finances.
- Requests for medical records – After applying, the SSA will contact your doctors, therapists, and psychiatrists to request copies of your relevant mental health records.
- Disability determination – Once your records are received, an SSA examiner reviews your case to determine if your anxiety meets the SSA’s disability criteria.
- Medical exam – If the examiner cannot make a determination with your existing records, they may request a psychological consultative exam with an SSA-approved doctor.
- Decision – You will receive a written notice from the SSA stating whether you have been approved or denied disability benefits based on anxiety.
- Appeal – If your SSI claim is denied, you can appeal the decision within 60 days and submit additional evidence supporting your case.
What are your chances of getting approved for SSI for anxiety?
Approval rates for anxiety disorders average around 30%, but can vary based on your specific symptoms, treatment history, and ability to function. Here are some factors that may affect your chances:
- Having an anxiety disorder that matches SSA criteria, like PTSD or severe OCD
- Ongoing mental health treatment with anti-anxiety medications and therapy
- Hospitalizations for anxiety attacks or suicidal thoughts
- Missing multiple days of work per month due to anxiety
- Panic attacks occurring at least weekly despite treatment
- Anxiety so severe you rarely leave home unaccompanied
- Inability to focus for over an hour due to obsessive thoughts
- Having an additional mental illness like depression or bipolar
While approval rates for anxiety vary, thorough medical documentation of your symptoms and their effects can significantly help your chances.
Can you work with anxiety and still get SSI?
You cannot engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) and qualify for SSI disability benefits. In 2022, SGA amounts to earning over $1,350 per month for non-blind individuals. Some limited work activity is allowed during a nine month trial work period.
However, just because you are working does not mean you cannot get SSI for anxiety. The key questions are:
- Does your anxiety prevent you from earning SGA on a consistent basis?
- Does anxiety substantially interfere with your ability to work full-time?
- Are you frequently missing work, leaving early, or underperforming due to anxiety symptoms?
If you are struggling to maintain employment because of anxiety, you may still qualify for benefits. It is possible to work and get SSI, just not at the SGA earnings level.
Can children get SSI for anxiety disorders?
Yes, minor children under age 18 can qualify for SSI disability benefits if they have a serious mental health condition like anxiety. For children, the SSA evaluates:
- Whether they have an extreme limitation in one area of mental functioning or marked limitation in two areas
- If their anxiety seriously interferes with activities expected for their age group
- How anxiety impacts their ability to function in school and social settings
The disability determination process for children involves lots of school records, testimony from teachers and parents, and a psychological exam. But kids with documented disabilities like severe separation anxiety, phobias, or OCD do get approved for benefits.
What medical conditions qualify for SSI disability benefits?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a list of impairments that can potentially qualify someone for disability benefits. Anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, PTSD, and phobias are included in the SSA’s “blue book” listing of qualifying impairments. To get SSI for anxiety, your diagnosis and symptoms must precisely match the blue book criteria.
Specifically, the SSA looks for anxiety that causes at least two of the following:
- Marked restriction in activities of daily living
- Marked difficulties maintaining social functioning
- Marked difficulties maintaining concentration, persistence, or pace
- Repeated episodes of decompensation, each of extended duration
This level of impairment indicates that your anxiety prevents you from doing basic life tasks without significant assistance. So even severe anxiety is not necessarily disabling per the SSA’s definition.
What medical evidence do you need to get SSI for anxiety?
Getting SSI approved requires having strong medical documentation of your anxiety disorder and its disabling effects. The SSA looks for:
- Records of mental health counseling and psychiatric treatment
- Positive results on clinical anxiety assessments
- Information on your anxiety symptoms and their severity
- A statement from your doctor explaining how anxiety impairs basic functioning
- Medical opinions stating you cannot work due to anxiety
Lab tests, like brain scans showing abnormal patterns, can also help prove a medical basis for anxiety. Medication lists, hospitalization records, and third party letters describing how anxiety affects you may support your case too.
What steps are involved in the SSI application process?
Applying for SSI based on anxiety involves the following steps:
- Initial application – You can apply for SSI online or in-person at your local Social Security office. Be prepared to give information on your anxiety history, treatment, hospitalizations, living situation, work attempts, and finances.
- Requests for medical records – After applying, the SSA will contact your doctors, therapists, and psychiatrists to request copies of your relevant mental health records.
- Disability determination – Once your records are received, an SSA examiner reviews your case to determine if your anxiety meets the SSA’s disability criteria.
- Medical exam – If the examiner cannot make a determination with your existing records, they may request a psychological consultative exam with an SSA-approved doctor.
- Decision – You will receive a written notice from the SSA stating whether you have been approved or denied disability benefits based on anxiety.
- Appeal – If your SSI claim is denied, you can appeal the decision within 60 days and submit additional evidence supporting your case.
What are your chances of getting approved for SSI for anxiety?
Approval rates for anxiety disorders average around 30%, but can vary based on your specific symptoms, treatment history, and ability to function. Here are some factors that may affect your chances:
- Having an anxiety disorder that matches SSA criteria, like PTSD or severe OCD
- Ongoing mental health treatment with anti-anxiety medications and therapy
- Hospitalizations for anxiety attacks or suicidal thoughts
- Missing multiple days of work per month due to anxiety
- Panic attacks occurring at least weekly despite treatment
- Anxiety so severe you rarely leave home unaccompanied
- Inability to focus for over an hour due to obsessive thoughts
- Having an additional mental illness like depression or bipolar
While approval rates for anxiety vary, thorough medical documentation of your symptoms and their effects can significantly help your chances.
Can you work with anxiety and still get SSI?
You cannot engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) and qualify for SSI disability benefits. In 2022, SGA amounts to earning over $1,350 per month for non-blind individuals. Some limited work activity is allowed during a nine month trial work period.
However, just because you are working does not mean you cannot get SSI for anxiety. The key questions are:
- Does your anxiety prevent you from earning SGA on a consistent basis?
- Does anxiety substantially interfere with your ability to work full-time?
- Are you frequently missing work, leaving early, or underperforming due to anxiety symptoms?
If you are struggling to maintain employment because of anxiety, you may still qualify for benefits. It is possible to work and get SSI, just not at the SGA earnings level.
Can children get SSI for anxiety disorders?
Yes, minor children under age 18 can qualify for SSI disability benefits if they have a serious mental health condition like anxiety. For children, the SSA evaluates:
- Whether they have an extreme limitation in one area of mental functioning or marked limitation in two areas
- If their anxiety seriously interferes with activities expected for their age group
- How anxiety impacts their ability to function in school and social settings
The disability determination process for children involves lots of school records, testimony from teachers and parents, and a psychological exam. But kids with documented disabilities like severe separation anxiety, phobias, or OCD do get approved for benefits.
Conclusion
Getting SSI disability benefits approved for anxiety disorders can be challenging, but many people with severe, disabling anxiety are ultimately successful. Having an anxiety diagnosis that matches Social Security’s blue book criteria, like PTSD, panic disorder, or OCD, is key. Ongoing treatment records, statements from mental health providers, and clear documentation of your functional limitations are vital as well. While not a guarantee, strong medical evidence demonstrating how anxiety impairs your ability to work and complete daily tasks makes getting SSI benefits possible.
