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CJ Henry Law Firm, PLLC

The SSA’s Evaluation of Mental Disorders – The A Criteria

  • Published: September 25, 2014

Ocala disability attorneyIf you suffer from a mental disorder, an experienced Ocala social security disability lawyer will work with you obtain the appropriate SSD benefits.

An Ocala Social Security Disability Lawyer Discusses Mental Disorder SSD Cases

Your lawyer is no stranger to cases involving mental disorders; they are some of the most common impairments cited in SSD cases. In fact, it’s not rare for psychological issues to emerge in physical impairment cases, since chronic physical problems will inevitably affect your mental health.

The Social Security Administration will deny a number of these cases, which will then move to the hearing level. The SSA uses complex rules to determine whether you qualify for disability benefits for your mental disorders. Your lawyer may use the following overview to educate you on the topic.

An Ocala Social Security Disability Attorney Explains the A criteria : Does the Claimant Have a Medically Determinable Mental Impairment?

To evaluate your mental impairment, the SSA must first confirm that you indeed suffer from medically determinable impairment. To do this, they will check if your condition meets the A criteria, which is a diagnostic criteria found in the Listings of Mental Impairments. Your Ocala Social Security disability attorney will go over the nine Listings of Mental Impairments, each with its own unique A criteria:

12.02 Organic Mental Disorders
12.03 Schizophrenic, Paranoid and Other Psychotic Disorders
12.04 Affective Disorders
12.05 Mental Retardation
12.06 Anxiety-Related Disorders
12.07 Somatoform Disorders
12.08 Personality Disorders
12.09 Substance Addiction Disorders
12.10 Autistic Disorder and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders

The first step of any mental disorder analysis is the assessment of whether you have a medically determinable mental impairment. And each of the listings comes with its unique diagnostic standards referred to as the “A criteria”. You will be found to have a medically determinable mental impairment if you meet the A criteria for any of the listed impairments. Once you meet the A criteria for any mental disorder, the SSA will move onto examining the severity of your condition.

The Ocala Social Security disability lawyer from the CJ Henry Law Firm, PLLC will work tirelessly to obtain your SSD benefits. For a free initial consulation, please call us at 352.304.5300.

Claudeth Henry

Attorney Henry is a Florida disability lawyer Florida disability lawyer uniquely suited to help you
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