Disability Attorney For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Although it has come to be associated primarily with members of the military exposed to the stress and trauma of battlefield conditions, anyone exposed to traumatic events can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies show that most people experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime, with 6% of the population of the U.S. developing PTSD.

If you received a PTSD diagnosis from a physician or other medical professional and cannot work because of the severity of the symptoms, you may be eligible for disability benefits. The Social Security Administration has two programs, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), that pay PTSD disability benefits provided you meet the eligibility requirements. If you do, you could receive monthly disability benefit payments and medical insurance coverage through Medicare or Medicaid.

The PTSD disability attorneys at the GCC Law Firm want to help you get all the benefits the law entitles you to receive. GCC Law represents people throughout the country who cannot work because of disabling medical and mental health conditions. The disability support team from GCC Law is with you from the initial application process to challenging denials and other adverse decisions affecting your benefits through the appeal process.

Post-traumatic stress disorder has long been associated with military personnel in combat situations. Medical practitioners now recognize PTSD as a mental health condition that anyone exposed to or witnessing life-threatening, stressful, or traumatic situations and events could develop. Events and situations that could cause PTSD include:

• Wartime military operations
• Natural disasters, such as fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
• Domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and rape.
• Physical violence, such as assault, abuse, robbery, and homicide.
• Sudden loss of a loved one.
• Witnessing physical violence directed at another person.
• Prolonged exposure to stressful or high-risk situations, such as at work or home.

Exposure to or witnessing events or situations that can cause PTSD does not necessarily mean that someone will develop it. Medical professionals still do not fully understand the contributing factors that cause one person to develop PTSD while another person experiencing or witnessing the same situation or event does not.

Qualifying for PTSD disability benefits from the Social Security Administration is not easy. You must have medical evidence and other documentation proving the condition to be severe enough to meet the federal standard for SSI and SSDI benefits.

When you apply for Social Security disability for PTSD, you must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from doing substantial gainful activity. The impairment or impairments must have lasted or be expected to last for at least one year or be expected to result in death.

When you apply for disability benefits, your application goes through a five-step PTSD disability claim process to determine if you have a severe condition meeting the disability standard used by the Social Security Administration (SSA):

• Can you do substantial gainful activity (SGA): Social Security looks at your monthly earnings to determine if you are doing SGA. The SGA earnings limit for 2025 is $1,620 if you are not blind and $2,700 for applicants who are statutorily blind. If you earn more than the limits, you are not disabled. The evaluation process goes on to the next step if you do not work or do not earn more than the SGA limits.
• Do you have a severe medical condition: If you document an inability to do work activities, such as walking, sitting, lifting, standing, carrying, remembering, and following instructions, you may be disabled, provided you meet the federal standards for a disability. If you are, the evaluation process moves on to the next step.

Denial of a claim for Social Security disability for PTSD does not mean the end of your efforts to obtain the benefits you are entitled to under the law. Let the PTSD disability attorneys at GCC Law Firm challenge the denial of benefits through the appeal process. Learn more about the difference we can make for you by contacting GCC Law today for a free consultation.