The National Institute of Mental Health describes major depression as among the most common mental health disorders in America with 21 million adults experiencing at least one depressive episode during the most recent year for which data was available. Although there are treatment options to manage it, depression can be a disabling mental impairment that may prevent someone diagnosed with it from working and earning a living.
If a physician has diagnosed you as suffering from depression, contact a Social Security disability lawyer at the Law Firm to learn about the disability benefits available through Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance
What Is Depression?
Depression is an illness that affects how a person feels, acts and thinks. Someone with depression may feel varying degrees of sadness, fatigue, and loss of motivation that can affect their ability to participate in social activities and impair the ability to function at work.
Common symptoms of depression include:
- Unexplained Feelings of Sadness and Worthlessness.
- Loss Of Interest in Social Activities and Contacts.
- Difficulty Sleeping or Sleeping More Than Usual.
- Weight Loss Or Gain Caused by Appetite Changes.
- Fatigue And a Loss of Energy and Motivation.
- Thoughts Of Death or Suicide.
The only way to know for certain whether you suffer from depression is through an examination and evaluation by a physician or other mental health professional. A proper diagnosis allows your health care providers to develop a plan to manage the illness.
If you have been diagnosed with depression and cannot work, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits through SSI and SSDI. An SSD lawyer at the Law Firm can evaluate your claim, advise you of benefits available to you, and help you get them by representing you in the application or appeal process.
SSI Disability Benefits for Depression
SSI pays benefits to individuals who have limited income and resources who are blind or disabled. The maximum monthly benefit someone with depression could receive is $841 in 2022. Annual cost-of-living adjustments may cause the monthly benefit to change each year.
The amount that you actually receive from SSI may be or less than the maximum benefit. A deduction may be made from the monthly benefit for income you receive from other sources. On the other hand, if you receive SSI benefits in a state that supplements the federal benefit of $841, you may receive more.
If your claim for disability benefits is handled by an SSI lawyer at the Law Firm, the approval notice and amount of the monthly benefit amount will be checked to ensure that you the correct amount. When you have income from other sources, the lawyer ensures that you receive credit for income exclusions. For example, the first $65 of earned income and the first $20 of unearned income are excluded and do not reduce the monthly benefit.
How Much Does SSDI Pay for Depression?
Unlike SSI, which is a need-based program, SSDI benefits and eligibility are based on your record of earnings from having worked for a long enough duration and paid taxes toward the Social Security retirement system. When you become disabled before reaching the age for full retirement, the SSDI benefits that you receive are generally equivalent to what you would get each month as retirement benefits.
Social Security uses your lifetime earnings in its formula to calculate SSDI benefits, but the monthly benefit cannot exceed $3,345 in 2022. Your benefit may be less depending on how much you earned while working with the average monthly SSDI benefit to disabled workers in 2022 being $1.358.
Learn More by Speaking with An Experienced SSD Lawyer
Your best source for trusted advice and skilled representation in all matters related to disability benefits is an SSD lawyer at the Law Firm. If depression is preventing you from working, contact Law for a free consultation and claim evaluation.
Francis Babet loves pursuing excellence through writing and has a passion for Legal. He currently writes for The law Firm, a USA Based Law Firm that provides SSD, SSI, SSDI, Personal Injury, and Drugs and Devices. His work has been published on various sites related to Social Security Disability, Supplemental Security Income and more.
