How to Get Disability Benefits for an Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a mental health condition that causes you to experience feelings of anxiety—often manifested as persistent worrying, apprehension, tension, or unease—even when little or nothing is happening to provoke these reactions. Anxiety disorders such as GAD are some of the most commonly treated mental health conditions in the United States, affecting about 40 million adults.

Many people with an anxiety disorder are able to successfully treat their symptoms to a certain extent with medication or talk therapy. But some people have intense anxiety that isn't easily managed even with therapeutic intervention. When symptoms of anxiety begin to interfere significantly with your daily routine and ability to work, you may qualify for Social Security benefits (SSDI or SSI) or veterans' disability compensation from the VA.

Is Anxiety Considered a Disability?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) can award disability payments to people with chronic, intense anxiety that keeps them from holding down any full-time job for at least one year. Veterans with anxiety can qualify for VA benefits if they can establish that their anxiety is connected to their military service. Both disability programs require that you have medical evidence demonstrating that your anxiety is severe enough to cause functional limitations.

Symptoms of GAD and Related Anxiety Disorders

The symptoms of anxiety disorders are different from normal feelings of nervousness. Often, they occur for no apparent reason and don't go away despite no presence of an external threat. Ideally, the anxiety response should function as a "call to action," alerting you to potential dangers. But for people with anxiety disorders, alarming reactions can make everyday experiences unduly terrifying.;

When left untreated, the anxiety can become overwhelming, causing them to take extreme measures—such as refusing to leave the house—in order to avoid situations that might make their anxiety worse or trigger a panic attack. Their personal relationships and job performance can suffer as a result. Common symptoms of anxiety include:

• overwhelming feelings of panic and fear
• uncontrollable obsessive thoughts
• being in a constant state of worry
• mood changes like increased irritability
• cognitive difficulties such as trouble maintaining focus
• fatigue, tiredness, or insomnia
• recurring nightmares, and
• painful, intrusive memories.

Chronic anxiety can cause physical as well as mental symptoms. Anxiety-induced physical symptoms may include increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, nausea, muscle tension, an easy startle reflex, and other uncomfortable (often involuntary) reactions.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Psychologists and psychologists further classify anxiety disorders using a tool called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The DSM-5 provides information about different kinds of anxiety disorders and their particular symptoms to help doctors diagnose and treat these mental health impairments.&

• Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by at least six months of a more-or-less constant state of tension or worry unrelated to any specific event.
• Panic disorder causes repeated, unprovoked attacks of anxiety or terror lasting up to ten minutes.
• Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, involves the fear of being negatively evaluated by others. Social phobias are irrational, involuntary, and overwhelming fears that cause extreme avoidance of other people.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is characterized by recurrent, persistent, and intrusive thoughts or impulses that are attempted to be controlled by performing repetitive behaviors.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder, often referred to as PTSD, is an acquired anxiety disorder that develops as a response to experiencing or witnessing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.

The DSM is regularly updated in response to new developments in the diagnosis and categorization of mental impairments. Unfortunately, Social Security often lags behind the medical community when it comes to recognizing advances in mental health treatment. Still, the agency strives to reflect the current medical consensus by adjusting its rules and regulations on evaluating mental impairments based on new information.

How Can You Get Disability for Anxiety?

In order to get disability benefits, you'll first need to establish preliminary eligibility for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSDI is available to people who've earned enough in work credits to become insured under the program, while SSI is a needs-based benefit available only to those who have income and assets below a low threshold.

If you meet the legal requirements to receive SSDI, SSI, or both, you'll then need to show that your anxiety is a medically determinable impairment that is more than a minimal inconvenience in your daily life for at least twelve months. In Social Security lingo, this is called having a severe impairment. Not all severe impairments are disabling, however. Somebody with moderate anxiety who can still successfully do household chores every day is probably not going to be found disabled, while another person with extreme anxiety who can't leave the house even to go grocery shopping is more likely to be awarded benefits.

Provided that your anxiety symptoms aren't short-lived or minimal, you can qualify for disability benefits in one of two ways—by meeting the requirements of a listed impairment or by showing that your anxiety disorder keeps you from performing any work on a regular basis.

Meeting a Disability Listing for an Anxiety Disorder

Listed impairments are medical conditions that the SSA considers especially severe. Each "listing" has a set of criteria that need to be present in your medical records in order for you to qualify for disability automatically (that is, without needing to prove that no jobs exist that you can do). Qualifying for disability this way is called "meeting a listing."

Most anxiety disorders are evaluated under listing 12.06. PTSD is covered under a separate listing, 12.15, for trauma- and stressor-related disorders. While 12.06 and 12.15 differ somewhat in the types of symptoms that must be documented, both listings require you to display very significant, almost debilitating functional limitations in order to meet the listing. These limitations must rise to the level of "marked" in two, or "extreme" in one, of the following mental areas:

• understanding, remembering, or applying information (such as following instructions, picking up new skills, and making rational decisions)
• interacting with others using socially appropriate behaviors (such as asking for directions, answering questions, and sustaining conversation)
• concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace (such as avoiding distractions, working near others without being disruptive, and finishing tasks on time), and
• adapting or managing oneself (such as controlling your temper, adapting to changes, and maintaining acceptable workplace standards of hygiene and attire).

"Marked" is worse than moderate. The SSA defines the term as "seriously limiting." "Extreme" is worse than marked and is reserved for the most severe symptoms of anxiety. You'll tend to have marked limitations in areas where you struggle to perform independently (but can eventually complete) and extreme limitations in areas where you can rarely, if at all, function by yourself.

The requirement for marked or extreme functional limitations is a very important part of meeting listing 12.06 for anxiety, but it's not the only part. You'll also need to have documentation of certain symptoms that would lead a doctor to diagnose you with a mental health impairment. If you have generalized anxiety disorder, for example, your medical records must contain evidence of three or more of the following symptoms:

• restlessness
• being easily fatigued
• difficulty concentrating
• irritability
• muscle tension, or
• sleep disturbances.

The diagnostic criteria for listing 12.15 for PTSD is a bit different, and your records will need to show evidence of every symptom—five in all—not just three out of six (as with listing 12.06). These symptoms are:

• exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or violence
• subsequent involuntary re-experiencing of the traumatic event (such as intrusive memories, dreams, or flashbacks)
• avoidance of external reminders of the event
• mood and behavior disturbances, and
• increases in arousal and reactivity (like an exaggerated startle response or sleep disturbance).

Keep in mind that meeting a listing is a difficult endeavor. Few applicants who are ultimately granted benefits are found disabled because they were able to meet (or equal) a listing. It's far more common to get disability through a medical-vocational allowance, which means your symptoms of anxiety—while not at "listing level" severity—are still severe enough to reduce or rule out all available jobs in the national economy.

Getting Disability Benefits Through a Medical-Vocational Allowance

To determine whether you can still work, Social Security will first review your medical records to assess your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is a set of job-related restrictions based on the most you can do in a work environment. For example, if you struggle to focus because you're distracted by invasive thoughts, your RFC may contain a limitation reflecting a certain percentage of time spent off-task.

Social Security compares the limitations in your current RFC with the duties of your past relevant work to see if you could do those jobs today. If not, the agency will then consider additional factors such as your age, education, and transferable skills to determine if any other jobs exist in the national economy that you can perform.

For applicants younger than 50, this generally means needing to show that your anxiety keeps you from performing even simple, routine, repetitive jobs with no public contact and limited interaction with coworkers or supervisors. (Applicants 50 years of age or older who also have physical limitations may have an easier time qualifying for benefits under the "grid rules.") The more severe your anxiety symptoms are, the more functional limitations you'll have in your RFC—and the less likely it is that Social Security will be able to find that you can do any jobs.

Medical Evidence Needed to Document Anxiety Disorders

Your medical records are the foundation of your disability claim. Without a regular treatment history, your chances of winning become slim. The SSA will want to see clinical progress notes from your psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor, as well as the results of any psychological testing or evaluations you've had. Your records should include any anxiety medications you've taken, whether they were successful in treating your symptoms and what the side effects were (if any).

One of the forms you'll need to complete as part of your application is the Adult Function Report, a questionnaire about your activities of daily living that asks you to explain how your anxiety affects your normal routine. The form asks about your ability to do chores such as cleaning, preparing meals, and paying bills, as well as how well you handle social situations.

When filling out the function report, be detailed in your responses. For example, if you were having a bad episode of anxiety at work, what would that look like? Would you make mistakes? Would you forget the instructions your boss gave you, and have to ask for them again? Would you not be able to finish any tasks? Would you take frequent breaks? If you had frequent absences from work due to anxiety in the past, mention exactly how many days you missed per month. Make sure you explain what triggers your anxiety both at work and at home.

Getting a VA Disability Rating for Anxiety

Veterans who have a service-connected anxiety disorder (such as PTSD) may qualify for disability compensation from the VA. Unlike the SSA— where you're either disabled or you're not—the VA uses a percentage ratings system to help determine how much you'll receive in disability benefits.

According to the VA Schedule of Rating Disabilities, anxiety disorders are evaluated under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. Using the chart below, you can find the set of symptoms that best reflects your current mental health and the corresponding VA rating.

Veterans with a 0% disability rating for anxiety—meaning the disorder has been formally diagnosed but doesn't cause any functional limitations—aren't able to get monthly cash benefits. However, they're likely still eligible to access VA health care and other medical treatment options.

How You Can File for Disability Benefits

An easy way to apply for Social Security disability benefits is by using Social Security's online web portal. You can also file a claim over the phone by g calling the national disability hotline at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0078) between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you'd prefer to apply in person, you can make an appointment at your nearest Social Security field office. For more information, see our article on filing an application for Social Security benefits.

Veterans can apply for benefits by submitting VA Form 21-526, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits. The VA encourages veterans to submit this form electronically, but you can also print it out and bring it with you to your regional VA field office. Learn more about how to apply in our article on filing for veterans' disability benefits.

What Happens After You Apply for SSDI or SSI

Your application will be reviewed by a claims examiner for an initial disability decision. If your application isn't approved at the initial stage, you have the opportunity to appeal the denial by requesting reconsideration of your claim. Only about 35% of initial claims are approved—and even fewer, around 15%, are approved at reconsideration—so it's likely that you'll need to have a hearing with an administrative law judge before you can receive disability benefits for anxiety.

If you'd like help with your application or appeal, consider hiring an experienced disability lawyer. Having an attorney on your side can help you get the evidence you need to convince Social Security that your anxiety symptoms are severe enough to qualify for benefits. Most disability lawyers work on contingency, meaning they don't get paid unless you win, and offer free consultations, so there's little risk in getting legal advice for your disability claim.