Can You Receive Disability Benefits for Bipolar Disorder?

Living with bipolar disorder can be challenging. Intense mood swings and unpredictable episodes may make it difficult or impossible to maintain steady employment. This can lead to significant financial stress, leaving you worried about paying bills, buying food, and providing for your family’s basic needs.

If your bipolar disorder prevents you from working, you don’t have to face these struggles alone. The experienced Social Security Disability attorneys at Montagna Law are here to help you navigate the complex process of applying for disability benefits. We will guide you in gathering the necessary medical evidence, preparing a strong application, and appealing any denials to improve your chances of receiving financial support.

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

This disabling condition is a chronic mental health disorder characterized by extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). These mood episodes involve significant changes in energy, activity levels, behavior, and thinking, which can significantly affect daily life, work, and relationships.

What Are the Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

Symptoms of bipolar disorder involve significant mood disturbances that shift between emotional highs and lows, often causing substantial impairment in daily functioning.

Manic or Hypomanic Episodes

Symptoms during manic or hypomanic episodes include:

• Elevated, expansive, or irritable mood
• Increased self-esteem or an inflated sense of importance
• Decreased need for sleep without feeling tired
• Rapid or pressured speech
• Racing thoughts or flight of ideas
• Easily distracted
• Increased goal-directed activity or psychomotor agitation (restlessness)
• Engagement in risky behaviors with the potential for painful consequences

Depressive Episodes

The symptoms of depressive episodes include:

• Persistent depressed mood or sadness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
• Changes in appetite or weight (increase or decrease)
• Sleep disturbances (insomnia or hypersomnia)
• Psychomotor agitation or slowing of movements
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Why Work With Montagna Law’s Social Security disability lawyers

When you cannot work due to a disability and need benefits quickly, you do not want to face unnecessary denials. The Social Security disability lawyers at Montagna Law can help reduce the risk of denial by guiding you through every step of the process, including appeals. Our firm is dedicated to providing personalized support and clear guidance to help you navigate the disability benefits process as efficiently as possible.

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Is Bipolar Disorder a Disability?

The SSA considers bipolar disorder disabling only when it prevents substantial gainful activity for at least 12 months.

Bipolar disorder, with its significant mood shifts, including manic and depressive episodes, can substantially limit work, social functioning, and daily life. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses more specific criteria.

The SSA considers bipolar disorder a disability only if it severely limits a person’s ability to perform basic work-related activities for at least 12 months and prevents them from engaging in substantial gainful activity. Thus, not all individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder will qualify for SSA disability benefits. They must meet specific medical and financial criteria.

How Does the Social Security Administration (SSA) Define Bipolar Disorder?

The SSA defines bipolar disorder, along with other depressive and related disorders, as mental conditions marked by significant mood disturbances, such as irritability, depression, elevated or expansive moods, or a loss of interest or pleasure. These symptoms must lead to a clinically significant decline in functioning.

According to the SSA’s Blue Book listing (12.04), applicants must provide evidence of these mood symptoms and show that the disorder severely limits mental functioning and the ability to perform work-related activities.

Can You Get Disability Benefits for Bipolar Disorder?

Yes, you can get disability benefits for bipolar disorder through the Social Security Administration if your condition meets the agency’s specific criteria.

Can I Get Both SSI and SSDI Benefits?

If you have bipolar disorder, you may qualify to receive both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) at the same time, known as “concurrent benefits.” This can happen if you qualify for SSDI based on your work history but receive a low monthly payment due to limited earnings or work credits.

You must also meet SSI’s strict financial requirements. In these cases, SSI can supplement SSDI to help you reach the federal benefit limit.

Eligibility for both programs depends on meeting the medical criteria for disability as well as the specific work and financial requirements for each. The Social Security Administration evaluates each case individually.

What Are the Eligibility Criteria for Receiving Disability Benefits for Bipolar Disorder?

The eligibility criteria for receiving disability benefits for bipolar disorder through the SSA are specific and require meeting both medical and functional requirements.

Medical Diagnosis and Documentation

You must have a medical diagnosis of bipolar disorder, supported by documentation from a healthcare provider such as a psychiatrist or therapist. This should include evidence of symptoms like rapid speech, flight of ideas, inflated self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, and mood swings.

Duration and Severity of Impairment

Bipolar disorder must cause severe impairment in your ability to perform basic work-related activities. It must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months.

The condition should be “serious and persistent,” typically with at least two years of documented treatment and a minimal ability to adapt to changes in your environment or daily activities.

Functional Limitations

The SSA evaluates mental functioning in four areas:

• Understanding, remembering, or applying information
• Interacting with others
• Concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace
• Adapting or managing oneself

To qualify, you must show either an extreme limitation in one of these areas or a marked limitation in two or more, meaning the disorder severely restricts mental functioning and work-related abilities.

Inability to Work

Your impairment must prevent you from performing your previous job or any other suitable work as defined by the SSA, including being unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA). Your earnings must be below a specific threshold.

Work History and Financial Eligibility

For Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you must have worked and paid Social Security taxes for a required number of years, which varies by age. For example, a 42-year-old generally needs five years of work.

For Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you must meet strict income and asset limits, typically less than $2,000 in assets for individuals.

Ongoing Treatment

The SSA requires evidence of ongoing treatment, such as regular visits to a psychiatrist or therapist, and proof that symptoms continue despite treatment efforts.

How to Apply for Social Security Disability Benefits for My Bipolar Disorder

To apply for Social Security Disability benefits for bipolar disorder, you can start the process either online, by phone, or in person at a Social Security office.

You must provide detailed medical evidence that documents a formal diagnosis of bipolar disorder. It is essential that you provide complete and accurate documentation and disclose any history of substance abuse, as the SSA evaluates whether disability remains without the influence of drugs or alcohol.

What if My Bipolar Disorder Does Not Meet the Criteria?

If your bipolar disorder does not appear to meet the Social Security Administration’s criteria at first, you may still want to apply for benefits. There is no penalty for applying, and the SSA evaluates each application based on medical evidence, functional limitations, and treatment history.

It is important to work with your healthcare providers to document your symptoms, treatment efforts, and how the disorder limits your daily activities and ability to work. Consulting an attorney can also help you build a strong case, understand the appeals process if denied, and improve your chances of qualifying for benefits.

What to Do if SSA Denies My Disability Claim?

If the SSA denies a disability claim, the first step is to carefully review the denial letter to understand the specific reasons for the decision. It is essential to act promptly, as there are typically strict deadlines (usually 60 days) to file an appeal.

The first appeal step is called a Request for Reconsideration, where a different examiner reviews your case. This stage often allows you to submit new or additional medical evidence. If reconsideration is denied, you can request a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ), which generally offers a better chance of approval since you can present your case in person.

Further appeals include review by the SSA Appeals Council and, if necessary, filing a lawsuit in federal court, although success rates tend to decline at these stages.

Throughout the process, it is essential to gather comprehensive medical records, updated treatment documentation, and statements from healthcare providers demonstrating the disabling nature of your condition.

Writing a clear appeal letter that addresses the reasons for denial and explains how your disability affects daily life also strengthens your case. Many applicants improve their chances of approval by obtaining legal representation, which helps navigate the complex appeals process, meet deadlines, and present the strongest possible evidence.

Persistence and thorough preparation are key to overturning a denial and securing disability benefits.

Other Mental Illnesses That Can Qualify for Disability

Other mental disorders that may qualify for disability benefits under SSA rules include:

• Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
• Bipolar and depressive disorders
• Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability
• Personality and impulse-control disorders
• Trauma- and stressor-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Somatic symptoms and related disorders
• Eating disorders

Tips on Improving Your Chances of Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits for Your Bipolar Disorder

Tips to improve your chances of receiving Social Security disability benefits for bipolar disorder include:

• Maintain regular treatment (or document valid reasons for gaps)
• Keep thorough records (symptoms, side effects, hospitalizations)
• Obtain a detailed medical-source statement
• Show marked/extreme functional limits
• Provide evidence that the disorder has persisted for two years or more
• Work with a disability lawyer
• Include personal and third-party statements

How Can a Social Security Disability Lawyer Help Me With My Bipolar Disability Claim?

A Social Security disability lawyer can improve your chances of receiving benefits for bipolar disorder by guiding you through the complex application and appeals process.

An attorney can help you gather and organize thorough medical documentation showing the severity of your condition and its impact on daily functioning and work ability to meet SSA criteria.

They assist in crafting a clear narrative explaining how symptoms such as mood swings, poor concentration, impulsivity, and difficulty adapting limit your capacity to work. Attorneys also handle communication with the SSA, prepare for hearings, and advocate on your behalf, which is important since many initial claims are denied.

Experienced disability lawyers understand the SSA’s five-step evaluation process and can develop strategies to address common reasons for denial, such as claims that medication effectively controls symptoms or that you can perform other work.

By providing personalized support, legal guidance, and representation at every stage, a disability lawyer can help you navigate challenges, reduce stress, and improve your chances of securing the benefits you may need.

Get Help From Our SSDI Attorneys Today

If you are living with bipolar disorder and need to file a disability claim, or if your claim was denied, contact Montagna Law at 757-622-8100 to discuss your disability claim today. You can also schedule a free consultation by completing our online contact form.