Can You Claim Disability
for Schizophrenia
in Wisconsin?
Social Security Disability Can Provide a Better Foundation for Your Life
Schizophrenia alters your life in multiple ways, but are your symptoms serious enough to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits?
They could be, if you can show that your case of schizophrenia prevents you from working for 12 months or longer.
Symptoms like disorganized thinking and catatonia can make it impossible to manage a job. A job that requires you to use dangerous equipment or interact with the public is out of the question during a severe episode and could be difficult any time you experience symptoms.
The challenge is getting a claims examiner from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to see how your case rules out working. The government has high standards for who gets awarded benefits.
You should have help from someone who knows this system well, like our Wisconsin disability lawyers.
The Becker Law Office and Hawks Quindel have helped thousands of people in Madison, Wausau, Janesville and across Wisconsin win approval for benefits in times when they needed support the most.
You’re understandably stressed, worried about your health and your finances.
You may think there’s no way you can deal with the disability benefits application process or afford a lawyer. But you can: The initial consultation with our team is free, and you won’t pay an attorney fee unless you win benefits.
See how the disability attorneys at the Becker Law Office can help with your schizophrenia disability claim.
How Does Social Security View Schizophrenia as a Disability?
Knowing the SSA’s general definition of “disability” is important, but you should also know that it specifically lists schizophrenia spectrum disorders in its “blue book” of qualifying impairments.
This means that it has a particular way of evaluating claimants with this impairment when they apply for disability benefits.
A claims examiner will first look for you to have medical documentation of one or more of the following:
1. Delusions or hallucinations
2. Disorganized thinking as indicated through speech
3. Grossly disorganized behavior or catatonia, which can include immobility or agitation
Then Social Security will check that you meet one of the following two requirements:
1. You show an extreme limitation of one, or a marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning:
a. Understanding, remembering or applying information
b. Interacting with others
c. Concentrating, persisting in a task or maintaining pace
d. Adapting or managing yourself—meaning regulating your reactions to your surroundings and controlling your behavior
OR
2. Your mental disorder is “serious and persistent,” meaning that you have a medically documented history of it for at least two years along with evidence of both:
a. Medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial supports or highly structured settings that diminish symptoms and signs of your disorder
b. But marginal adjustment, meaning you have little ability to adapt to changes in your environment or unexpected demands that aren’t already part of your routine
Many people do not meet these exact expectations, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t qualify for disability benefits.
Our Madison disability lawyers can take the time to sit down with you, listen, understand your symptoms and learn how your schizophrenia limits your ability to work.
Then we’ll help you build a convincing case for the SSA.
What’s RFC and Why Is It Important in Schizophrenia Disability Claims?
If you don’t meet the specific criteria for schizophrenia disorders, the key to your disability claim will be your residual functional capacity, or RFC.
Your RFC is a rating of what you can still do despite your illness and its symptoms.
For the purposes of your RFC, work breaks down into five categories. From least to most taxing, they are sedentary, light, medium, heavy and very heavy work.
In deciding whether you could perform any of those levels of work, Social Security will seek answers to questions about your everyday capabilities. Can you walk, sit or stand for a long time or carry heavy objects? Can you concentrate on work and interact with others? Can you react to challenges at work? Can you reliably go to work in the first place?
The challenge is that even if you can’t do a more demanding heavy or very heavy job, you may be able to do sedentary or light work. If Social Security thinks that you can do any kind of work in a sustained way, you’ll be denied disability benefits.
But even more goes into it than your capabilities and limitations. Your age, your education, your work experience and transferable job skills factor into your RFC. Those points tell Social Security whether you could make the transition to new kinds of work.
One thing is certain: It takes a lot of work to convince the SSA that you can’t work due to your schizophrenia symptoms.
But your Madison Social Security Disability lawyer from the Becker Law Office can take on much of this work, guide you on the rest and make the whole process easier for you.
Let’s take a closer look at why getting approved for disability benefits is so difficult.
Why Is It Difficult to Get Social Security Disability for Schizophrenia?
Many people worry that they won’t be able to win Social Security Disability benefits for a mental health issue like schizophrenia.
These ailments are difficult for other people to understand. They’re not visible like a physical disability. How will you convince a claims examiner you’ve never met that you deserve financial relief?
Don’t get discouraged by this process.
Mental health issues are a far more common reason for winning disability benefits than many people realize. And you can break your claim down into steps to make it more manageable.
Step #1: Understand what the SSA looks for.
Knowing Social Security’s basic definition of disability, the blue book standards for schizophrenia claims and RFC can help you understand how to get your claim approved.
The key is describing how symptoms like catatonia, disorganized thinking and memory issues make it difficult to complete work tasks.
If you can’t remember important information, struggle to make decisions or have issues collaborating with coworkers, members of the public and anyone else, that’s all relevant to your claim.
Step #2: Gather your evidence.
Social Security won’t take your word about your symptoms, so it’s crucial to provide evidence backing up your claim.
These forms of evidence can go into a schizophrenia claim:
- A mental impairment evaluation filled out by your doctor
- Evaluations from psychologists and psychiatrists
- Lab and blood tests that rule out other causes of your symptoms
- Records of hospitalizations or ER visits
- A list of prescription medications you’re taking and their dosages
- Information about treatments you’ve tried and their effectiveness
- Evidence that you needed accommodations at work, like extra breaks or reduced workloads
Step #3: Talk to a Madison disability lawyer.
You’re not required to use a lawyer when you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, but we don’t recommend going through this on your own. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and make mistakes.
The Madison disability lawyers at the Becker Law Office can help you navigate the system and fight for the benefits you deserve. We’ll take the time to really understand your situation and answer your questions.
Focus on your health. We’ll focus on building a convincing schizophrenia disability claim.