Can I Get Social Security Disability for Schizophrenia in Wisconsin?

How Does Social Security Evaluate Schizophrenia Disability Claims?

Social Security has a specific way of analyzing schizophrenia because it’s one of the mental health conditions in its list of qualifying impairments.

You’ll first need to show that you have medical documentation of one or more of the following symptoms:

• 1. Delusions or hallucinations
• 2. Disorganized thinking
• 3. Disorganized behavior or catatonia

Your claim will also need to meet one of two additional criteria.

The first option is showing that your disorder is “serious and persistent.” That means you can provide a medically documented history that your schizophrenia has existed for at least two years, and you have evidence that you’ve tried to treat it.

The second option is showing that you have an extreme limitation of one or a noticeable limitation of two of the following areas of mental functioning:

• 1. Understanding and using information
• 2. Interacting with other people
• 3. Staying focused on work and finishing tasks
• 4. Managing your emotions, behavior, personal care and response to changes in workplace settings

The Social Security Administration (SSA) won’t just take your word about your schizophrenia symptoms and how severe they are.

It will want to see objective evidence of your medical issues, documented by health care providers and other people, and how they affect your ability to work.

Items that can help include:

• A diagnosis from your doctor
• Notes about treatments you’ve tried and evidence that you’ve followed medical advice
• Results of imaging tests like CT and MRI scans
• Blood tests and other lab tests that rule out other medical issues
• Your doctor’s evaluation of your capabilities and limitations
• Evidence of disruption to your work, like missed days or the need for accommodations
• Statements from friends, coworkers and family members who have witnessed your health struggles

It takes a lot of time and effort to organize all the evidence you’ll need to support a schizophrenia disability claim, but a Fox Valley disability lawyer can help.

If you can’t work due to your symptoms and think that you may qualify for disability benefits, you should start the application process as soon as possible.

Get started with a FREE schizophrenia disability claim consultation.

Can I Qualify for Disability Even If I Don’t Meet the SSA’s Exact Criteria?

You might still be able to claim disability for schizophrenia even if you don’t meet the definition outlined by Social Security.

The key is a measurement known as residual functional capacity (RFC). This is how the SSA measures what kind of capabilities you have despite your health issues.

Social Security measures your RFC with questions like:

• How long can you sit, stand, or walk?
• Can you lift and carry heavy objects?
• Can you retain information and apply it?
• Can you make key judgments by yourself?
• Are you able to work cooperatively with co-workers, supervisors, customers and others?

Social Security will also consider other factors, like your age, your skills, and your educational background to figure out if you can do any kind of work at all.

Social Security breaks jobs into five categories—sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy. A claims examiner might determine you can’t do heavy, physical work, but that less taxing light or sedentary work might be fine for you.

Proving you can’t do any work at all, even sedentary work, is challenging, but with the right evidence and help you can make your claim more persuasive to Social Security.

An Appleton Social Security Disability lawyer can help you clearly explain your limitations and make your case for benefits.