If you are living with clinical depression and have been struggling to earn a living, then you should file a claim with the Social Security Administration (SSA) for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). If you are approved for SSDI, you will receive a payment each month from the SSA to replace the monthly income you are unable to earn from traditional employment. Since it can be challenging to get the SSA to approve a claim for a mental illness that they cannot see by looking at you, there are some things you need to do to ensure you claim is approved without a long delay. To this end, follow these proven tips for filing a successful SSDI claim for your disabling depression:
Tip: Understand There Is Often a Bias Against Mental Illnesses for SSDI Examiners
When you file for SSDI, the SSA will require you to have an examination with one of their SSDI examiners. For a mental health claim, this examiner will either be a psychologist or psychiatrist.
As you might imagine, some people try to scam the SSA by claiming they are clinically depressed when they are actually just faking it or lazy. Even though this isn't the case for you, it's important to note that this tendency by other people can make the SSDI examiners biased against claims for depression.
Tip: Combat Possible Examiner Bias with Plenty of Medical Documentation
When you apply for SSDI you will be asked to fill out a medical questionnaire and provide the SSA with permission for them to obtain copies of your medical records. When you fill out your questionnaire, make sure that you include the names and contact information for all of the medical providers you have seen. You can help overcome the possible bias of an SSDI medical examiner by providing the SSA plenty of written medical documentation about your history with clinical depression.
Tip: Show the SSA That You Have Been Following the Advice of Medical Professionals
Finally, in order to get your SSDI claim approved, it is vital that you can show that you have been following the advice of the medical professionals you have visited. For example, if your psychiatrist has prescribed an antidepressant medication for you to take, then you need to show that you filled the script and are complying with their advice. This is vitally important for the success of your case because the SSA will deny your claim if they believe that simply taking medication will improve your health enough to allow you to work at a traditional job again.
For additional information and advice, contact a Social Security Disability lawyer in your area
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