Assessment for SSDI / SSI Claim
If you are a Tampa resident and you are about to file a SSDI or SSI claim, you should consider completing a psychological assessment to give credibility to your case. Mental illness is recognized by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in their list of impairments that qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). However, simply being on the list does not mean that people who suffer from mental illness such as bi-polar disorder, depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) automatically qualify for SSDI or SSI.
While the application process for SSDI and SSI is intended to allow claimants to handle their own claims, especially as they relate to listed impairments such as mental illness, only 35% of SSDI and SSI applications are approved at their initial filing.
Simply being diagnosed with a mental illness is not enough to qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits. The Social Security Administration takes several factors into consideration before granting Social Security Disability Benefits of Supplemental Security Insurance Benefits. These factors include the following:
- Activities of Daily Living including adaptive activities such as cleaning, shopping, cooking, taking public transportation, paying bills, maintaining a residence, caring appropriately for your grooming and hygiene, using telephones and directories, and using a post office
- Social Functioning such as your capacity to interact independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis with other individuals
- Concentration, Persistence, or Pace such as the ability to sustain focused attention and concentration sufficiently long enough to permit the timely and appropriate completion of tasks commonly found in work settings
- Episodes of Decompensation including exacerbations or temporary increases in symptoms or signs accompanied by a loss of adaptive functioning, as manifested by difficulties in performing activities of daily living, maintaining social relationships, or maintaining concentration, persistence, or pace
People who file for SSDI or SSI benefits on the basis of a mental impairment need to have documentation on their mental disability from a practitioner such as Dr. Bishop who is licensed by the state to assess vocational readiness as related to mental health impairment. Dr. Bishop has been successfully assisting individuals with SSDI / SSI claims since 2003.
