How Much Can You Receive in Mental Health Disability Payments?

A disability that prevents you from working and earning a living may not be physical. Mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorder, can be as debilitating as physical impairments. According to the data from the U.S. Department of Labor, 30% of adults report experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

If you or a family member cannot work because of a diagnosed mental disorder, you may qualify for mental health disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs. The programs available through the Social Security Administration provide monthly cash payments and access to medical insurance through Medicare or Medicaid, depending on whether you qualify for SSDI or SSI.

“Am I eligible for disability benefits?” and “How much does mental health disability pay?” are common questions asked by people seeking assistance with Social Security disability for mental illness. Sackett and Associates, the premier disability law firm in Northern California, offers this blog for you to have the answers.

How Do The SSDI And SSI Programs Work?

Both SSDI and SSI pay for mental health disability benefits, but they have different eligibility requirements. SSI is a needs-based program to assist people who are blind or disabled, and it also pays benefits to individuals who are 65 or older without a disability or blindness who meet the program’s financial requirements.

You must have little or no income and resources of $2,000 or less as an individual or no more than $3,000 for couples. SSI benefits are available to adults and children.

Eligibility for the SSDI program depends on having worked at jobs where the earnings were subject to payment of Social Security taxes. Your work history must be of a sufficiently long duration and recently enough to meet SSDI eligibility requirements.

The Social Security Administration uses the same definition of disability to evaluate applications for SSDI and SSI. Medical documentation must establish that you cannot do substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental health impairment that lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death. Applications for SSI benefits for children with disabilities are evaluated using a different definition.

An application for SSI benefits for a child must document all of the following:

1. The child must be younger than 18 and not be married or the head of a household.
2. The child has a medically determinable physical or mental health impairment.
3. The impairment or a combination of impairments must cause marked and severe functional limitations.
4. The impairment or impairments lasted or can be expected to last for at least one year or be expected to cause the child’s death.

Qualifying for mental health disability financial support from SSDI and SSI is not easy. Of the applications filed each year for disability benefits, fewer than one-third of them are approved. However, working with an experienced and skilled disability lawyer at Sackett Law ensures that your application is complete, accurate, and supported by the medical evidence and other documentation needed to support your claim for benefits.

What To Expect As A Mental Health Disability Payment Amount?

SSDI and SSI differ in the mental health disability pay you receive each month. Your lifetime earnings determine how much you qualify to receive each month as a mental health disability payment amount. The maximum monthly SSDI benefit in 2024 is $3,822, but the average benefit is much lower.

The Social Security Administration reports the average monthly SSDI benefit at the end of the third quarter of 2024 is $1,593. However, the average of newly approved awards is $1,672. A member of the Sackett Law disability team can assist you in determining what your benefit payment amount should be.

If you qualify for SSI mental health disability benefits, the maximum 2024 federal monthly benefit payable to an individual is $943. Couples can receive as much as $1,415 per month. Your mental health disability payment amount depends on your income from other sources.

For example, if you have a part-time job, the money you earn from working reduces the amount you receive each month from SSI, but not all income counts. SSI lets you deduct the first $65 from earned income each month and one-half of the balance, so only what remains counts toward reducing your monthly benefit payment.

Get Advice You Can Trust About Mental Health Disability Benefits

Sackett and Associates is the disability law firm that people throughout Northern California and the rest of the country have trusted for assistance with their mental health disability benefits claims for the past 45 years. Whether you need help with an initial application or to appeal the denial of a claim, contact Sackett Law today for a free consultation and claim evaluation. You have too much at stake to trust your claim to anyone else.