Is bipolar a disability? If the condition impacts your day-to-day life, and the symptoms do not let you sustain employment, the Social Security Administration (SSA) could award you disability benefits.
Disability Apply can help you successfully meet the strict criteria and complete the application for you or a loved one who has bipolar disorder.
To receive benefits, you must meet certain requirements. For example, your bipolar disorder must affect you or is expected to affect you for at least 12 months and demonstrate it prevents you from sustaining work.
When filing for Social Security Disability benefits due to bipolar disorder, it’s best to hire a representative who understands all of the requirements related to Social Security and disability so that you can improve your chances of receiving disability benefits.
Need immediate assistance with disability benefits? Complete this free evaluation form — no upfront fees and nothing out of pocket for you!
What Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Qualify You For Benefits?
Bipolar disorder is included in the SSA Listing of Impairments — commonly known as the Blue Book — in Section 12 (Mental Disorders). The specific section is 12.04 (depressive, bipolar, and related disorders).
This SSA listing has three “paragraphs” that are used to classify the severity of your disorder. Your disorder must satisfy the requirements of both paragraphs A and B, or both paragraphs A and C.
- Paragraph A includes the medical criteria that must be present in your medical evidence.
- Paragraph B provides the functional criteria used in association with a rating scale to evaluate the level of how your bipolar disorder limits your functioning.
- Paragraph C provides the criteria used to evaluate “serious and persistent mental disorders.” To satisfy paragraph C, you must have a “medically documented” history of the disorder more at least 2 years.
What Symptoms Do I Need to Have to Qualify for Benefits?
To qualify for benefits, you must submit medical documentation of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, characterized by at least three of the following symptoms:
- Pressured speech
- Flight of ideas
- Inflated self-esteem
- Decreased need for sleep
- Distractibility
- Involvement in activities that have a high probability of painful consequences that are not recognized
- Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation
Proving the severity of the symptoms can be challenging, but Disability Apply can help you gather all the medical documentation needed and increase your chance of receiving benefits. Disability Apply is nationwide and has worked with over 40,000 clients in the past two years alone.
Contact us today to get started on your application! Social Security Benefits is all that we focus on, and there are $0 upfront costs.
Mental Functioning And Bipolar Disorder
Applicants must also prove that you have unstable mental functioning. This includes the following limitations that prevent you from working:
- 1. Understanding, remembering, or applying information.
- 2. Interacting with others with appropriate behavior.
- 3. Concentrating and being able to finish tasks.
- 4. Adapting to change or managing oneself.
You must have an extreme limitation in one or a severe limitation in two or more of these areas. However, if your disorder does not meet the requirements above, then you may qualify under Requirement C.
The SSA requirement states that there must be a medically documented history of at least two years duration that has caused limitation of the individual’s ability to perform basic work tasks, even with symptoms being controlled by medication or psychosocial support.
An applicant could be approved for disability benefits if able to prove:
- Repeated episodes of decompensation of extended length.
- Change in their environment would likely cause the individual to decompensate.
- For one or more years — unable to function outside a highly supportive living arrangement.
Find Assistance For Your Disability Case
Proving the severity of a mental disorder is challenging because there is no objective evidence to verify the condition, such as an X-ray or lab test that shows a problem. Therefore, you can help your cause by receiving assistance from Disability Apply. We are experienced in winning disability claims for individuals with bipolar disorder.
We will help you or a loved one gather the necessary evidence to demonstrate the extent of your illness and prove that you cannot work because of the condition. Also, if your application results in a denial, we can help you file an appeal through the proper channels.
To learn more about how we can help, contact us today! Or, complete this free evaluation form for immediate assistance. We look forward to helping with your journey to receiving disability benefits.