If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia you should know that people with schizophrenia may be eligible for Social Security Disability and/or and SSI benefits. The eligibility process is a complicated one, and not everyone with this condition will be approved.
To obtain disability benefits for Schizophrenia, an applicant must be limited due to their medical condition to a degree that will prevent the applicant, or claimant, from being able to perform a full time job. The limitations must be so severe that the claimant wouldn’t be able to sustain a job over time, even if they were hired.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia and Disability Benefits
It is important to note that a claimant’s symptoms from Schizophrenia should ideally be described by a medical doctor or psychiatrist, and not only by the claimant. Many mental conditions, like schizophrenia, are described in the medical listings (****ADD LINK to 12.03 ****, which is the Social Security administration’s list of disabling impairments.
The A criteria of the Schizophrenia listing require that a claimant demonstrate at least one of the following symptoms;
- Delusions or hallucinations
- Catatonic or other grossly disorganized behavior
- A state of illogical thinking, incoherence, loosening of associations, or poverty of content of speech (associated with either a blunt, flat, or inappropriate display of mood or affect)
- Emotional withdrawal and/or isolation
Life Quality, Schizophrenia and Disability Benefits
The second part of the listing, the B criteria, will show at what level or degree Schizophrenia affects the quality of life of the applicant. Disability determination is largely based on a claimant’s ability to work, and these are work like activities they evaluate claimants under.
The listing includes four areas described below. To meet a listing you would have to meet the A criteria above, and be declared to be at a marked level in 2 of the following 3 B criteria;
- Difficulty in activities of daily living;
- Difficulty in maintaining social functioning;
- Difficulty in maintaining concentration, persistence, or pace
- Repeated episodes of decompensation
The listings are slightly more complicated than described above; there is also a C criteria as a substitute for the B criteria. This involves demonstrating an inability to function over an extended period. You should review this with a disability lawyer with experience representing people with mental illness to see how it can best be used in your particular case.
If the applicant does not fit into the listing above there is still a chance the claimant could obtain disability benefits if Social Security believes the claimant will be unable to sustain competitive employment. This is usually demonstrated by unscheduled breaks or expected absences due to their medical condition.
The critical evidence that will help someone win their disability benefits for psychiatric conditions is their treatment records. Whether you win under the listing, or under a sustainability argument, Social Security or the judge who hears your case will likely look to your medical records to determine the level of severity of your condition to decide what work you are capable of.
