Mental Health Disabilities and Long-Term Disability Insurance
If you have suffered from any kind of mental illness, most people can imagine how it can become debilitating. Thankfully, disability insurance policies and programs are starting to accommodate the needs of people with mental health disabilities. Dawson and Rosenthal and our comprehensive insurance law practice will fight diligently for you to have access to the disability insurance benefits you deserve.
Long-Term Mental Health Disability Insurance
Disability insurance is meant for people who are so debilitated or disabled by their illness that they are unable to work. People may have two types of coverage: private insurance policies or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). There are pros and cons for both:
- Private LTDI: This is a policy you may obtain through your employer’s benefits package. The extra policy will increase your costs, but the policy will generally cover more than SSDI
- SSDI: Social Security Disability Insurance is a publicly funded disability provider. You do not have any additional costs other than what you pay into from income taxes, but the payout does not typically cover an entire month’s salary
Private policies may have higher rates of approval than SSDI in some cases, and there may be additional benefits to a private plan. Still, if you are coping with a debilitating mental illness and do not have a private plan, you may qualify for payments from SSDI.
Qualifying Mental Illness
Not all mental illnesses will qualify for income through disability, just like all cases of a particular qualifying illness may not meet the requirements. However, you may have a good case if your illness requires ongoing treatment and monitoring. According to Guardian, a private plan provider, some examples of mental illnesses that may require this include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Depression
- Anxiety and panic disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- Personality disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Eating disorders
While the illness may qualify for claims through your plan, there may be time limits on how long you can receive the benefits. In many cases, this may be around two years. In some cases, you may be able to extend those benefits if you also have a physical disability that could qualify you.
Filing a Claim
You cannot receive benefits if you don’t file a claim through the insurance provider. This can be an overwhelming process and can require significant documentation. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to determine your eligibility status and the documentation that can support your claim. However, a legal team to support you may decrease your chances of a denied claim.
The foundation of any disability claim is medical records showing your disability. Some essential documents you may need for your claim can include a letter from yourself about your experience with your mental illness and how it affects your ability to work and a letter from your employer and physician. These pages must be detailed and specific about how your illness prevents you from performing your duties.
Sometimes, a San Diego long-term disability claim attorney may also encourage you to obtain a vocational assessment. This can further explain why your specific illness will not allow you to complete your specific job duties. This kind of detail is the difference between an application that says your experience of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder makes it difficult to do your job and an application explaining that it may take you between 10 minutes and an hour to get out of your home because of your compulsions with checking the door and light switches before leaving. This makes it difficult to maintain the schedule your work needs, and further details how compulsions and anxiety surrounding them continue to inhibit your job performance.