Does PTSD Qualify for Disability in Wisconsin?

Can You Get Disability for PTSD? Social Security Says Yes.

Social Security recognizes PTSD as a valid reason to get disability benefits in a category of impairments it calls “trauma- and stressor-related disorders.”

If you can show Social Security that you have experiences like these, you could get disability benefits for PTSD:

• You went through something traumatizing, like a serious injury or a life-threatening situation.

• You witnessed something disturbing, like violence or death.

• Now you involuntarily re-experience the trauma through flashbacks or dreams.

• You’ve become highly sensitive to risks and are constantly on guard, startling easily.

• Your sleep is fitful.

• Your mood is troubled.

• Your behavior is disconcerting to others.

Medical evidence is vital to every Social Security Disability claim.

Social Security Disability claims examiners also will consider how all of this has affected your ability to function in a work setting:

• Considering the disruption to your view of the world caused by PTSD, how well do you process information?

• How well are you able to navigate being around and working with other people?

• Can you focus on complex tasks and keep going until you’re done?

• Can you manage day-to-day, coping with unplanned events and regulating your emotions and behavior?

It’s important for you to describe your symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder clearly in your application for disability benefits.

And it’s important for you to provide information from others backing up what you say, especially from health care professionals who’ve worked with you.

You can talk to our Wisconsin disability attorney team to plot out your first steps for no charge.

Evidence You Need to Claim Social Security Disability for PTSD

For post-traumatic stress disorder disability claims, Social Security talks about how they need “objective medical evidence.”

That means sources other than yourself who have medical and psychological expertise. People like this produce this evidence:

• Doctors
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Psychiatric nurse practitioners
• Physician assistants
• Clinical mental health counselors
• Licensed clinical social workers

And these are the kinds of evidence they create that make your Social Security Disability application for PTSD stronger:

• Reports of the symptoms you’ve described to them
• Reports from exams and interviews they’ve done with you
• Their official diagnosis of your PTSD
• Ratings they may make of your psychological state
• Measures they use of how you function
• Psychological testing results
• Medical imaging results
• Records of the medications you take
• Records of the therapy program you’ve been on
• Side effects of prescriptions and treatments
• A history the health care professionals compiled of your physical and mental health

Another dimension Social Security looks for in your PTSD disability case is “longitudinal evidence,” which means records of how your mental health struggle has played out over time—months or years.

And there’s another kind of independent evidence you can get: Statements from non-medical people you know who can attest to the impact PTSD has had on your life.

That means friends, family, neighbors, faith leaders, and people who know you from work, school and training programs.

Listen, it’s a lot.

It’s frustrating that they’re putting you on the spot to prove you need help when they’re supposed to be helping you.

Here’s who does help you: your Wisconsin disability lawyer from Geary Disability Law.

We take on the chore of applying for disability benefits and appealing denials, so the pressure’s not all on you.

And you pay no disability attorney fee until you win benefits.

We’re your ally in this. Let’s work together to get you to better times.