How to Apply for Mental Illness Disability in Michigan
Social Security provides disability benefits for many people in Michigan who cannot work due to a mental illness like depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides a monthly income to people who have worked for a certain number of years in the past. The amount of years a person must have worked depends on his age. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides a monthly income to people who have not worked long enough to qualify for SSDI as long as they meet income guidelines.
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Instructions
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Talk to your psychiatrist or psychologist (or both, if you see both a psychiatrist and a psychologist) about your condition and whether or not you should apply for Social Security disability. Social Security only awards disability benefits to people who cannot work for at least one year due to their condition, so ask your psychiatrist or psychologist when you might expect to return to work.
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Visit any Social Security office in Michigan to begin your application for disability for mental illness. If you prefer, you can fill out your application online.
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Fill out all of the forms completely and give specific answers. For instance, don’t just say that your depression prevents you from working. Say that you have trouble concentrating at work, experience irritability due to the depression, which causes problems in getting along with coworkers, and sometimes begin crying uncontrollably at work. You may add additional paper if you need more room to write.
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Request copies of your medical records from your psychiatrist and your psychologist, and forward those copies to the Social Security Administration. Send the records to your local Michigan Social Security office unless you’ve been notified about who is evaluating your claim, in which case you can send them directly to your evaluator.
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Tips & Warnings
The Social Security Administration will ask you to sign a release of information form giving them permission to get copies of your medical records and talk to your health care provider about your request. Sign the release form but go ahead and get copies of your records yourself and send them to the Social Security Administration. They often only request your most recent records; if you send all of your records, they will have a complete picture of how your mental disability prevents you from working.
You do not have to hire an attorney to apply for disability for mental illness in Michigan but you may consult with an attorney or seek legal help at any point in the application process if you want to.
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