Filing for Disability with Schizophrenia in North Carolina
Filing for disability benefits is a difficult process, whether you are applying for SSD (Social Security Disability benefits), SSI (Supplemental Security Income), or both. You already must live with a disability preventing you from working, along with worrying about all the paperwork and deadlines that come with the process of filing for federal assistance. However, all of this is compounded when your disability is schizophrenia or a related disorder. Schizophrenia is defined by the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a disorder “characterized by the onset of psychotic features with deterioration from a previous level of functioning.” Essentially, schizophrenia and other paranoid disorders cause you to have symptoms that deteriorate your quality of life and prevent you from living as you would normally, which is why you are entitled to file for federal benefits. However, it is important to know several key points and to talk to your SSI attorney in NC, before you proceed.
To be eligible to file for SSD or SSI benefits with schizophrenia, you have to have medical documentation of the persistence of one or more symptoms, which include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior, incoherence, or emotional withdrawal. Furthermore, these symptoms must have caused at least two negative effects, which include limited ability to carry out the activities of daily life, social functions, or concentration, and repeated times when you were unable to work. As an alternative, you could instead display a medically documented history of a schizophrenic disorder that has lasted at least two years and caused a significant decrease in your ability to work normally. For all of these options, you must have proper medical documents from all physicians, hospitals, or specialists you have seen stayed with or been treated by. All this evidence will be used by your SSI attorney to argue your case and prove that you deserve to receive benefits.
After determining if you are eligible, it is important to understand the difference between SSD and SSI and the steps of the process. Social Security Disability is available to everyone who has a disability preventing them from working, while SSI is for low-income people who have been disabled. To file for either, you must fill out the paperwork with the SSA and provide documented evidence of your disability. However, most claims are rejected; from there, you must appeal your claim. When your appeal is rejected, your SSI attorney will file for a hearing before a judge to argue your case in court. Talk to your SSI attorney in NC for more information.
