Can You Get Social Security Disability for Epilepsy?

Epilepsy (EH-puh-lep-see) is a neurological disorder that causes recurring, spontaneous seizures. While the disorder is often portrayed as scary or dangerous in popular media, epilepsy can be successfully managed with proper treatment, allowing most people who have the disorder to engage in their activities of daily living without any major problems.

However, because even mild or "breakthrough" seizures can be hazardous if they happen at certain times—like while driving a car—many people with epilepsy require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to avoid injuring themselves on the job. And if you're struggling to control your seizures to the point where you're unable to work, you should know what it takes to get Social Security disability benefits for epilepsy.

What Is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy occurs when abnormal surges of electrical activity in the brain cause repeated, unprovoked seizures. Doctors don't always know what causes epilepsy, but it can sometimes result from another condition, such as cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, or stroke. Seizure severity can range from mild (short staring spells) to immobilizing (convulsions and loss of consciousness). The number of seizures can vary, but doctors need evidence of at least two unprovoked seizures in order to diagnose epilepsy.

Epilepsy is primarily treated with anticonvulsant medications such as divalproex (Depakote), levetiracetam (Keppra), and lamotrigine (Lamictal), among others. For most epilepsy patients, such medications are successful in reducing the amount and intensity of their seizures to the point where they can—with some precautions—lead normal lives. But some people with uncontrolled epilepsy can have frequent, serious seizures that significantly interfere with their daily routine and ability to maintain steady employment.

Is Epilepsy a Disability?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) awards disability benefits to people with a medically determinable impairment that prevents them from earning at or above the level of substantial gainful activity for at least one year. This means you'll need to prove either that your epilepsy meets the requirements of a "listed impairment" or that your seizures cause enough work restrictions to rule out all full-time jobs.

Social Security decides whether you meet a listing or can't safely perform any full-time work by first reviewing your medical evidence. Your medical records are the foundation of your disability claim, so it's very important that you have extensive documentation of your epilepsy symptoms. Claims examiners for the SSA will be looking for the following items in your records:

• a diagnosis of epilepsy, preferably from a neurologist
• detailed descriptions of your typical seizures, including all pre- and post-seizure symptoms (such as aura or fatigue)
• statements from your doctors corroborating your account on the nature and frequency of your seizures
• third-party witness statements about your seizures
• results of an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that measures electrical activity in the brain, and
• treatment history, including medications that you've tried and how you've responded to them.

Make sure to keep the SSA in the loop if you start seeing a new medical provider or begin a new medication regimen. The agency typically wants to see recent (within the past three to six months) treatment records in order to make a decision as to whether you're currently disabled. (Older records are useful for determining your disability onset date, which can affect your backpay if you win your claim.)

Qualifying for Benefits Under the SSA's Official Listing for Epilepsy

If your medical record contains evidence that your epileptic seizures are especially persistent and intense, you may qualify for disability benefits under Social Security's listing of impairments. Listed impairments are conditions that the SSA considers as potentially automatically disabling, meaning that—with the right medical records—you may qualify for disability without having to prove that you can't work at any job.

Epilepsy is one of the disorders in the listing of impairments. The agency evaluates epilepsy claims under listing 11.02, which explains the medical criteria you need to qualify for disability automatically. Whether or not you can meet the listing depends on the type of seizures you have and how frequently you have them.

Types of Seizures

Social Security recognizes two types of epileptic seizures that can be medically disabling.

• Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures. These seizures are characterized by a stiffening of the muscles, often accompanied by a groan (as air is forced past the vocal cords), followed by a loss of consciousness as the arms and legs begin to jerk rapidly.
• Dyscognitive seizures. These seizures don't involve muscle convulsions, but they do impair awareness and consciousness. Somebody experiencing a dyscognitive seizure might stare blankly, be unresponsive to questions, or engage in odd and uncoordinated behavior.

If, despite following your doctor's recommended treatment, you've been experiencing seizures once a month (for tonic-clonic) or once a week (for dyscognitive) for three months in a row, you will meet the criteria for a medical disability under the listings, and Social Security will find you disabled.

Frequency of Seizures

Your seizures might not occur like clockwork every week or month. But even if they occur slightly less frequently, Social Security can find you medically disabled when you can show that you're having a lot of trouble in other areas of your life in between seizures.

You'll still have to show that you're having seizures at least every other month or every other week, depending on whether your seizures are tonic-clonic or dyscognitive. In addition, the SSA will want to see that you have a "marked" (very serious) limitation in one of the following areas:

• physical functioning, such as standing, balancing, or using your arms and hands
• understanding, remembering, or using information
• interacting with others
• concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace, or
• controlling emotions and behavior.

Children can also qualify for disability benefits due to epilepsy—although the requirements are a bit different than they are for adults. For more information, see our article on getting disability for children with epilepsy.

Qualifying With a Limited Residual Functional Capacity

Even if you don't quite meet one of the listings above—for example, you might get tonic-clonic seizures once a year—you can still get benefits if your epilepsy symptoms interfere with your activities to such an extent that there are no jobs that you could safely and consistently perform. The process by which Social Security determines what you can and can't do at work is called assessing your residual functional capacity (RFC).

How Social Security Determines Your RFC

Your RFC reflects what Social Security thinks you can still do despite your medical disorder, put into terms that an employer (or vocational expert) would understand. If your application shows evidence of epilepsy, your RFC will usually contain certain seizure precautions, such as avoiding heights, moving machinery, or working with dangerous chemicals.

Any symptoms that are documented in the medical record—such as pre-seizure confusion or post-seizure drowsiness—should be included in your RFC, often as a requirement that you're able to lie down at work or that an employer would need to account for reduced productivity.

Additional Factors Social Security Considers

Social Security doesn't want you to do a job where you'd be at risk of injury (or pose a risk to others) if you had an unexpected seizure. For people younger than 50, however, seizure precautions by themselves are rarely enough to make you disabled. That's because the SSA can usually find enough available sit-down jobs that don't pose a significant risk of injury in case of a seizure. But the agency will find you disabled if you have additional limitations, physical or mental, that prevent you from doing even the least demanding types of work.

Claimants over the age of 50 may have an easier time getting benefits due to a special set of circumstances called the "medical-vocational rules" (or "the grid")—although this still involves having other physical limitations in addition to seizure precautions. But if you're unable to perform your past work, haven't acquired any transferable skills you can use in another job, and are limited to light or sedentary work, the SSA can find you disabled using the relevant grid rule.

How Much Is a Disability Check for Epilepsy?

If you've been approved for disability, congratulations! You're probably anxious to receive your first payment, especially if you've been out of work since you first submitted your application (it takes, on average, over two years between filing for benefits and getting an approval notice).

It's important to know that the amount of your disability check isn't based on the type of disabling medical condition you have. Rather, the size of your monthly benefit depends on whether you're eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSDI benefits are available to people who've paid into the program by way of payroll or self-employment taxes, while SSI is a needs-based program for people with limited resources regardless of work history.

If you qualify for SSDI, you can receive up to $4,018 per month (in 2025), but the average amount is much less, at $1,580. That's because SSDI benefits are calculated on how much you earned before you became disabled, which varies significantly from person to person. SSI benefits are set by the federal government every year ($967 per month in 2025), adjusted annually to account for increases in the cost of living. If you qualify for SSI, your monthly benefit will consist of this flat rate minus any countable income you have in that month.

What If I Didn't Get Disability for Epilepsy?

Getting disability benefits for epilepsy alone isn't the easiest task. There are many reasons why Social Security may have denied your application. For example, you might have found an effective anticonvulsant to control your seizures before a year had passed, meaning your symptoms didn't last long enough for the SSA to consider you disabled. (You may, however, qualify for short-term disability if your seizures kept you from working while you were in the process of finding the right medications.)

Many claimants file for Social Security disability because they're unable to do their usual line of work without realizing that the agency also needs to see that they can't do any other type of job. They may also not be aware of their ADA rights to reasonable workplace accommodations for their medical conditions. Accommodations for people with epilepsy can include designating a person who can respond to emergencies, restructuring job duties (like no tasks that involve driving), or remote work options. If you were denied benefits and think you may be able to perform a job with such accommodations, request them in writing from your employer.

If, after reviewing your denial letter, you disagree with the agency's decision, you have the right to submit an appeal. (You must do this within 60 days of receiving the denial notice.) While you aren't obligated to hire an attorney at any stage of the appeals process, it's generally a good idea. An experienced disability lawyer can help you gather the medical records you'll need to show that your seizures are disabling, handle communications with the SSA, and represent you at a disability hearing, if necessary. Disability attorneys don't get paid unless you win, so there's little risk in getting legal help for your appeal.