The person asking this question is usually not doing it out of curiosity. Something has shifted. Work became impossible, or nearly so. The job held together for years is starting to come apart. And what they need to know is whether there is a path forward that does not require them to keep performing as if nothing happened.
The short answer is yes, PTSD can qualify you for disability. The longer answer is about what your PTSD looks like on paper, and that part matters more than most people expect.
This is a general post on how the process works. This is not legal advice, and your own records and situation drive the details in a particular claim.
What the SSA Is Actually Looking At
The Social Security Administration evaluates PTSD under its mental health listings. Your records must indicate that you have experienced actual or threatened death, serious injury, and/or violence, and therefore suffer from one or more of these symptoms to be eligible. Those symptoms include:
- Re-experiencing the trauma involuntarily, as in flashbacks or unwanted memories, or nightmares that repeat over and over.
- Refraining from anything associated with the event, external or internal.
- Changes in mood and cognition that appeared after the trauma occurred, which were absent beforehand.
- Increased reactivity. An overdeveloped startle response, inability to focus, sleep disturbances, irritability with no identifiable trigger.
It should be noted that while it is necessary to document those symptoms, this is not sufficient. The SSA also needs to find that those symptoms are causing significant limitations in your ability to function. In particular, your ability to process and use information, interact with others, keep focused long enough to get things done, and self-manage in a work environment.
A diagnosis on file is not the same as a qualifying claim. The question the SSA is really asking is whether this condition prevents you from holding a job.
If You Are a Veteran
Veterans have a separate pathway through the VA disability rating system, which operates differently from Social Security disability.
The VA rates PTSD on a scale from 0 to 100 percent, based on how much the condition impairs occupational and social functioning. A 50 percent rating reflects serious symptoms that affect work and relationships. A 70 percent rating indicates symptoms severe enough to substantially limit daily life. A 100 percent rating is reserved for total impairment.
Veterans can pursue both VA disability and Social Security disability simultaneously. They are separate systems with different criteria. An approval from one does not guarantee approval from the other, and a VA rating alone does not automatically satisfy SSA requirements.
At Veve Health in Gainesville, Virginia
Veve Health provides psychiatric evaluations, medication management, psychoeducation, and telepsychiatry for PTSD and a range of other mental health conditions. The practice is led by Veronique Kom, APRN, PMHNP-BC, with over twelve years of healthcare experience and a treatment approach that is individualized to each patient’s actual situation, not a template.
Whether you are newly diagnosed, have been living with PTSD for years, or are somewhere in between and trying to understand what support you need going forward, then an evaluation is the right place to start.
Proper care starts with one appointment. Reach out to us today.
Book an appointment on our website at vevehealth.com.
Phone: +1 (888) 407-8533
If you want, you can email us at frontdesk@vevehealth.com
7150 Heritage Village Plaza, Unit 201, Gainesville, VA 20155 Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday to Sunday 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
