longer.blue

Applying for disability (Bipolar) (3/20/2025 - I wrote this 5 years ago. Under the Musk/Trump rapid government destruction plan, there is no guarantee that SSDI will even exist in six months or if it does that the requirements will not even be a much longer, logic-defying list of flaming hoops one must jump through.) (9/29/2025 I’m dusting this off for a new friend. Musk is out of the government. There have been no announcements of changes to the determination process - yet.) __________________ I googled it “Disability denials are what most disability claimants can expect to receive after they file a claim for benefits with the Social Security Administration”. Statistically, initial claims have a denial rate of approximately 67%. That means 33% get approved with the initial filing..so I suggest filing on your own and waiting to share your back pay with a lawyer until AFTER the first denial (that might not happen.) Oh yeah, I applied on my own and got approved the first time (just for bipolar) in about six months ...they look at treatment history, hospitalizations (that’s helps but in not actually necessary - I had two) doctor recommendations, work history (I had a career-ending major panic attack at work) and, in my case, an independent examination by their psychiatrist. If you don’t have your doctor’s support, forget about it. Processing can take 6 months to 2 years (sometimes even longer) and you cannot work (exclamation point.) so it’s really hard to live until you get approved unless you have loved ones or really good friends paying the bills. SSDI requirements Its all on the SSA website! You need to meet the criteria lined out here: Bipolar disorder, characterized by three or more of the following: 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; or Increase in goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation. AND: Extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning (see 12.00F): Understand, remember, or apply information (see 12.00E1). Interact with others (see 12.00E2). Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (see 12.00E3). Adapt or manage oneself (see 12.00E4). AND: Your mental disorder in this listing category is “serious and persistent;” that is, you have a medically documented history of the existence of the disorder over a period of at least 2 years, and there is evidence of both: Medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial support(s), or a highly structured setting(s) that is ongoing and that diminishes the symptoms and signs of your mental disorder; AND Marginal adjustment, that is, you have minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life. I know it sounds daunting, but if you have your doctor’s recommendation and your loved one’s support, it is worth the effort for the Medicare* coverage if nothing else. * Medicare coverage kicks in after receiving SSDI for two years. Anyone else with any work history starts coverage when they reach the age of 65. If one took early Social Security retirement at 62 years old, they still wait until 65 for Medicare.