Can You Get Disability Benefits for Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain that alters your perception of reality. If you have schizophrenia, you may suffer from excessive behavior such as hallucinations (experiencing events not linked to a clear source), delusions (giving abnormal meaning to regular events), social isolation, difficulty paying attention, and disrupted thinking and conduct. The symptoms of this mental disorder usually surface during early adulthood. You can contact a psychiatrist to help diagnose schizophrenia.

Qualifying for Disability Benefits Based on Schizophrenia

To be eligible for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for schizophrenia, you will need to show that you have been diagnosed with this disorder and that you have been unable to work for 12 months or more. In addition, you must either  meet the requirements of the SSA's listing for schizophrenia or qualify for benefits because of reduced functional capacity.

Meeting a Disability Listing for Schizophrenia

The SSA will automatically approve you for disability benefits for schizophrenia if you meet the requirements of Listing 12.03, Schizophrenic, paranoid, and other psychotic disorders, in its Listing of Impairments, or "blue book." To be eligible for this disability listing, you must have medical evidence showing that you have one or more of the following symptoms on a persistent basis, despite taking medication:

• Hallucinations or delusions
• A catatonic state (having rigid muscles or being nonresponsive)
• Illogical thought in connection with a blunt, flat, or inappropriate presentation, or
• Being isolated and/or emotionally withdrawn.

These symptoms also must result in at least two of the following results:

• A severe restriction in your daily activities
• Severe difficulties in your functioning with other people
• Severe problems in maintaining your attention, perseverance, and pace on tasks, or
• Repeated episodes of decompensation (an increase in your symptoms associated with a loss in your ability to function), with each episode lasting at least two weeks.

Alternately, you may be eligible for disability under Listing 12.03 if you have medical evidence that you have had a continuing schizophrenic disorder lasting at least two years that significantly limits your ability to perform simple work tasks, along with one of the following factors:

• Repeated episodes of decompensation, with each episode lasting at least two weeks
• A current state of functioning where even a small increase in your mental demands or a change in your environment would cause you to decompensate, or
• A current living arrangement lasting at least one year that provides a highly supportive environment outside of which you are unable to function.

Your medical record should include any instances of hospitalization, opinions of your ability to work from your doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychiatric nurse, medical notes from regular clinic visits, psychological testing, any evidence that you are living in a structured setting where others help you perform most daily tasks, and statements from family and friends regarding your ability to work.

Evaluating Your Residual Functional Capacity

If your medical evidence does not "meet," or be sufficiently equal to, Listing 12.03, then the SSA will determine your "residual functional capacity" (RFC) to perform basic work tasks, which means how much ability to work you have remaining after your disease has taken its toll. To be found disabled, your RFC must prevent you from performing your past work or any other work in the U.S.

An RFC is a list of your ability to perform such tasks as sitting, walking, standing, working with others, and following directions. A mental RFC will state whether you are capable of unskilled work, semi-skilled work, or skilled work. 

If you have schizophrenia, it is likely that your ability to perform mental skills will be greatly reduced. Therefore, your mental RFC might also include the following: an inability to concentrate on tasks on a long-term basis, an inability to work well with co-workers, and an inability to perform most basic work tasks quickly and under a deadline. If you have severe problems with basic mental skills such as concentration and understanding directions, then it is more probable that the SSA will find you unable to perform any work. But if the SSA finds you can do some type of simple unskilled job that doesn't require much contact with co-workers, it may find that you aren't disabled.

Medications and Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is an illness that usually requires lifelong treatment. An important issue in disability cases involving schizophrenia can be the use of medications and whether they are effective in controlling your symptoms. When you submit your claim, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will ask you for a list of your current medications and dosage, the date first prescribed, and how much of the medication you take each day.

The SSA's federal regulations state that you must follow any treatment ordered by your doctor. If you are not taking your medications as prescribed, the SSA may deny you benefits unless you have a good reason for your failure to comply.

If your symptoms are well-controlled with medication, the SSA may use that information as a reason to find you not disabled. But while medication successfully treats hallucinations and delusions for most people with schizophrenia, there are not many people with schizophrenia who aren't left with some negative affects of the disease, such as poor social skills or poor motivation. 

Additionally, the SSA must consider whether there are any side effects of the medication you are using and whether those side effects affect your ability to work. Common side effects resulting from the use of antipsychotic drugs include tremors, drowsiness, lightheadedness, fidgetiness, and sluggish movements. 

Filing for Disability Benefits

If you would like to file for SSD or SSI benefits, you can call the SSA at 800-772-1213 to set up a appointment. Or, if you are applying for SSD only, you can apply online at www.ssa.gov.