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Enduring bipolar disorder is living at extremes. You cycle through manic highs and depressive lows for days, weeks, even years. The rollercoaster wrecks your finances and makes holding a steady job impossible.
Nearly six million American adults live with bipolar disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health. Thankfully, Social Security recognizes bipolar disorder as a condition that qualifies you for financial relief.
Disability benefits can smooth out your stress and add balance to your life.
Winning those benefits, however, is a complicated process that can be even harder when you’re dealing with constant mood swings. More often than not, Social Security turns away first-time applicants.
What can you do?
Call Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor. We can be the steady hand to get you the financial help you deserve.
We have offices in Eugene-Springfield, Albany, Roseburg, Coos Bay and Medford. We are Oregon disability lawyers with 60 years of combined experience helping people win benefits and regain stability.
Understanding the ins and outs of your bipolar disorder is the first step toward successfully collecting disability benefits.
While Social Security recognizes it as a debilitating mental illness, you must prove your symptoms keep you from holding down a job. Only folks who can’t work can collect disability benefits.
Strong documentation of your medical records, history and treatments will be key components of your application.
So what symptoms does Social Security look for?
Social Security has several checklists that qualify your condition for benefits.
First, you must show you suffer from five of the following symptoms:
Those must then be paired with three of the following signs of bipolar disorder:
At that point, you must either show you have an extreme limitation in one, or a marked limitation in two, of the following functions:
OR you can show that you have tried to treat your illness for at least two years.
This requires you to provide documentation of your treatment and therapy, as well as evidence that you struggle with adjusting to changes in your environment or to demands beyond your daily routine.
You can see the evaluation process is complicated. You need someone who sees you for who you are and gives you the personal attention you deserve.
Our disability lawyers pride themselves on helping Oregonians just like you. Tell us your situation and let us help you find financial relief that can make a real difference in your life.
You can’t just walk into Social Security, say you have bipolar disorder, and walk out with a monthly payment.
You have to show the work you’ve put into dealing with your condition. This is where your medical history is essential.
You have to tell your story. Records of doctor visits, the treatment plans you’ve tried, the medications you’ve taken, and reports from your psychiatrist and other medical professionals all become chapters in your personal book of how bipolar disorder has upended your life.
Your work history is important, too. The jobs you’ve had, the skills you learned, and the demands that have become too much to manage alongside your condition all play a part.
That’s a lot to sort through on your own. But you don’t have to.
Our team at Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor knows how to listen, understand your situation, and best approach Social Security to help you get the financial relief that disability benefits can provide.
Let us help you get the support you need to take care of yourself and your family.
Whether you’re trying to determine if you’re qualified for disability benefits, you need help filing your application, or you received a denial notice and want another chance, our law firm helps from the beginning and stays by your side.
Your health is bad. You can’t work. Your financial stability is threatened. So your head is swimming with questions. How will you get by? How does Social Security Disability work? We’ve gathered answers. See them here:
Disability FAQs »“(My lawyer) did a great job getting my case ready, and the court settled in my favor. I highly recommend Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor.”