Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health condition caused by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Although commonly associated with soldiers during wartime, PTSD can affect anyone exposed to a violent crime, natural disaster, serious accident, or other traumatic event.
Not everyone exposed to a traumatic event develops PTSD. Currently, about 10% of women and 4% of men living in the United States develop symptoms associated with PTSD at some point during their lives. If you suffer from anxiety or other mental health conditions that you believe may be related to a traumatic event, you may be eligible for disability benefits for PTSD.
The PTSD disability approval process is not easy. For more than four decades, Sackett and Associates has been helping people with PTSD and other disabling medical conditions to successfully navigate challenges in getting PTSD disability benefits.
Causes and symptoms of PTSD
PTSD is a mental health condition typically associated with soldiers exposed to combat, but medical professionals now know that anyone experiencing or witnessing events that are physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening may develop symptoms of PTSD. Although symptoms vary in type and severity, common symptoms include:
- Reliving the trauma through disturbing thoughts and flashbacks.
- Sleeping disorders, including nightmares about or related to the event.
- Mood swings, including angry outbursts and aggressiveness.
- Negative thoughts about oneself.
- Feelings of guilt and blaming yourself for the traumatic event.
- Suicidal tendencies.
It may take months or years after an event for someone to display PTSD-related symptoms. Once they occur, symptoms may last for a month or longer and vary in their severity. PTSD can be a lifelong condition unless you see a medical professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment.
Treatment options for PTSD include prescribed medications, including Zoloft, Paxil, and other antidepressants. A doctor may recommend psychotherapy on its own or in combination with prescribed drugs to treat the cause and symptoms of the condition.
A doctor may determine that a person diagnosed with PTSD that prevents them from working also has other medical conditions, including the following:
- Substance abuse
- Anxiety disorders
- Personality disorders
- Dementia
Although it has not been conclusively proven, there is evidence that PTSD may be a factor in the development of non-mental health disorders, including those affecting the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and gastrointestinal systems.
Social Security Disability Benefits For Someone With PTSD
If you have a PTSD diagnosis from a medical professional, a hurdle to qualifying for PTSD disability benefits is proving that it is severe enough to prevent you from doing substantial gainful activity (SGA). SGA refers to work activities and is evaluated based on monthly work earnings.
Someone working and earning $1,620 monthly is not disabled according to standards used by the Social Security Administration. The standard for blind individuals is $2,700. These SGA amounts are for 2025 and change each year.
PTSD Disability Approval Process To Determine Severity
Your PTSD or other medical condition that you claim prevents you from working must be severe. Social Security compiled a listing of conditions severe enough to meet the disability criteria for Social Security benefits. The listing of impairments, also known as the “Blue Book,” includes requirements that must be met to meet a listing. PTSD is a listed impairment in the section for trauma- and stressor-related disorders.
To meet the PTSD listing, you need medical documentation proving the following:
- Exposure to a traumatic event involving actual or threatened violence, death, or serious injury.
- Reexperiencing the traumatic event through flashbacks, dreams, or intrusive memories.
- Avoidance of external reminders of the traumatic event.
- Mood or behavior disturbances.
- Sleep disturbances or other forms of increased arousal and reactivity.
You also must experience specific symptoms, such as impairment of mental function, or have medical documentation of more than two years of medical treatment and a minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment or to the demands of daily life.
One of the challenges in getting PTSD disability benefits comes from not having a condition that meets or is functionally equivalent to a listed condition. The good news is that the PTSD disability approval process will not end for you. Instead, it continues by determining your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC).
RFC is your capacity to perform physical and mental work activities. It considers your medical condition, age, education, training, and work experience. Using your RFC, Social Security determines whether you can do jobs you did in the past. If not, it considers your ability to do other types of jobs available in the national economy.
Contact Sackett Law For Advice And Representation
Proving that you qualify for disability benefits for PTSD is hard. Benefits are denied to over two-thirds of applicants for Social Security disability, but you can fight back. Sackett Law has been helping people with disabilities in Northern California and throughout the country obtain disability benefits for more than four decades. Learn how Sackett Law can help you by contacting us today for a free initial consultation.
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