Why you Can't Receive Disability Benefits for Drug or Alcohol Addiction

Well, you can’t receive benefits for drug or alcohol addiction causing a mental or physical disability if you do not invest the time and effort to apply for them.  However, if you or a member of your family is genuinely suffering from a severe mental or physical disorder that has resulted from a drug or alcohol dependency and has which has caused a disability then the Social Security and the Supplemental Security Income program may be able to provide disability related benefits for the disabled person and his family.

Here’s How it Works

The applicant has to provide documentation of (1) the drug or alcohol addiction and (2) medical evidence of the resulting adverse medical condition, or multiple conditions, resulting due to the addiction based mental or physical disability.  The required level of drug or alcohol addiction related disability severity is met when the requirements in any of the following medical conditions are evidenced by medical records and other documentation.

• Organic mental disorders
• Depressive syndrome
• Anxiety disorders
• Personality disorders
• Peripheral neuropathies
• Liver damage
• Gastritis
• Pancreatitis
• Seizures

Each one of the above listed medical conditions will have specific elements that must be supported by the appropriate medical evidence and documentation for the purposes of determining the existence of a listed mental disorder related disability based on the adverse health effects of that medical condition which occurred due to the addition related mental disorder. 

 Functional Limitations Imposed by Mental Disability

Social Security evaluates the severity of a mental disability according to the functional limitations imposed by resultant medically determinable mental impairments.  They measure and assess documentation detailing any functional limitations imposed by a mental disability by daily living demands such as social functioning, concentration, persistence or pace and episodes of decompensation.  Establishment of the existence of a medically determinable mental impairment will require medical evidence detailing symptoms, signs, laboratory findings and psychological testing findings. 

Getting Legal Help

If you or a member of your family has a drug or alcohol addiction disability and would like to explore his options in accessing benefits through the Social Security administration or the Supplemental Security Income program it may be helpful to contact a disability attorney to discuss the addiction related disability.  An attorney can guide an applicant through the process of applying to Social Security disability programs and safely providing confidential mental health information for use in mental disability determinations.