Steubenville Personality Disorder Lawyer

Some people with a personality disorder may find it difficult to maintain a job in the Steubenville, Ohio, area. However, if you have a diagnosable disorder severe enough to affect your working ability for the next 12 months, you could receive Social Security disability benefits that help you pay your bills.

A Steubenville personality disorder lawyer with Berger and Green is up to date on all Social Security Administration (SSA) changes and can help you file your claim or address a denied claim. For more than 40 years, our firm has proudly advocated for the disabled and can help you with your disability claim in Eastern Ohio.

SSA’s Blue Book Defines Personality and Impulse Control Disorder

You can contact us as soon as you learn your personality disorder diagnosis will affect your employment status for at least the next 12 months. SSA considers some mental health disorders to be disabilities if they affect one’s ability to complete work tasks. 

SSA’s Blue Book defines personality and impulse control disorders as “enduring, inflexible, maladaptive, and pervasive patterns of behavior,” which typically begin in adolescence or young adulthood, characterize these disorders. SSA places paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, borderline, avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive personality disorders, and intermittent explosive disorder in this category.

SSA Requires You to Present Medical Evidence that Establishes Your Personality Disorder Diagnosis

According to Section 12.08 – Personality and Impulse-Control Disorders, Satisfied By A and B of the Blue Book, applicants with personality disorders must present medical documentation that shows a pervasive pattern of at least one of the following:

• Distrust and suspiciousness of others
• Detachment from social relationships
• Disregard for and violation of the rights of others
• Instability of interpersonal relationships
• Excessive emotionality and attention seeking
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Excessive need to be taken care of
• Preoccupation with perfectionism and orderliness
• Recurrent, impulsive, aggressive behavioral outbursts

Per the SSA, applicants must also show an extreme limitation of one or marked limitation of two of the following areas of mental functioning:

• Understanding, remembering, or applying information 
• Interacting with others 
• Concentration, persistence, or maintaining pace 
• Adapting or managing oneself 

How Our Steubenville Personality Disorder Lawyers Can Help You Build Your Disability Case

When you apply for Social Security disability benefits, you must show your personality disorder is permanent or terminal and affects your ability to earn a living or manage a job. Our legal team can lead your case and guide you through the benefits application process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. If eligible, you could apply for both programs. 

If you have an established work history (whether part-time or full-time), you likely have earned SSDI work credits. However, if you don’t have enough work credits, you may qualify for SSI benefits based on need and not work history.

If SSA denied your application for disability benefits, you could work with an attorney from our firm to appeal the decision. When you hire our Steubenville personality disorder lawyer, we will gather information to learn more about your situation and how the disorder affects your livelihood. They also will:

• Explain how SSA’s Blue Book criteria and other rules apply to your situation.
• Manage your case, including overseeing communications with all parties.
• File your initial SSD application or appeal on time, ensuring you don’t miss critical deadlines.
• Review your application to determine the medical documents and other necessary records to meet SSA’s criteria. 
• Find the administrative and technical reasons for SSA’s claim denial and correct them.
• Represent you at appeals hearings and other proceedings as necessary.

Why does SSA Deny SSDI or SSI Claims?

Disability examiners for SSA reject initial benefits claims for all kinds of reasons. Common ones include:

• The application is incomplete or missing essential information, such as personal identifying information.
• The applicant does not have the qualifying number of work credits for SSDI benefits.
• SSA doesn’t believe the applicant’s impairment qualifies them for benefits.
• The applicant’s condition isn’t severe enough for a year-long claim.
• The applicant hasn’t followed a medical professional’s prescribed treatment.

If you received a claim denial, the notice should state why your application didn’t make the cut. Fortunately, a claim denial is not the end of the road. Once you receive this letter, you can file a request for consideration or a hearing, and you have 60 days to do so. In this time, you can call us to work with a Steubenville personality disorder attorney. 

Once the 60 days expire, you must submit a new application. In addition, you might be ineligible to receive back pay due to you under the initial application.

We Will Work on Your Steubenville SSD Case at No Upfront Cost

With deadlines looming, we urge you to reach out to us now so that we can review your situation and determine how we can help. If we take your case, we could start on it promptly with no upfront fees. In addition, we only receive payment if you receive benefits. So, while you focus on your health, we will focus on you and ensure our strategy addresses your case’s unique needs.

We will put our more than 40 years of experience to work, leading you in the right direction on your SSD claim for personality disorder. Consider these words from past clients:

• “I would like to express my extreme gratitude for helping me and my family with my case. I appreciate Bill Kenny and his staff for getting the job well done. I will continue to recommend Berger and Green to family & friends as needed.” – Sean 
• “Working with them, I could say was excellent … I never had to come down to Pittsburgh; with my medical condition, it would have been very difficult to make a trip. I live approximately 50 miles away … All along the way, I was well-informed.” – Lyman

Call Today for Your Free Consultation – We Are Ready to Help

We understand the challenges you face living with a medical condition that affects your ability to work. We also understand the stress that comes with a claim denial from SSA. So, our Steubenville personality disorder lawyers are ready to work on your behalf to recover the benefits you need to pay your bills as you take care of your mental health.

Berger and Green will protect your rights and work diligently on your case to ensure you request all benefits you are due. So, start exploring your options regarding a Steubenville disability claim today when you call our office for a free consultation.