ADHD alone rarely qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits. For it to qualify, your medical records must show that your symptoms severely limit your ability to function and work.
The same rules apply in Illinois, Indiana and across the country.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects both children and adults. Many children with ADHD continue to have symptoms as adults, and some people aren’t diagnosed until adulthood.
For adults, ADHD can make it hard to follow directions, remember information, concentrate, organize tasks and finish work on time. Nearly every job depends on those skills. The challenges can be greater if you never received treatment as a child.
If your ADHD keeps you from working, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can help replace part of the income you’ve lost and bring more stability while you focus on your health. SSDI is for people who have worked recently and paid into Social Security.
If you have limited income and assets and haven’t paid Social Security taxes recently, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may be an option.
You don’t need a childhood diagnosis to qualify as an adult. What matters is how severe your symptoms are now and whether your condition has kept you, or is expected to keep you, from working for at least 12 months.
The disability attorneys at Nash Disability Law have been handling Social Security Disability cases for over 40 years. We’ve helped thousands of people win benefits throughout Chicagoland and nationally.
You pay no attorney fee until you win.
WE’VE HELPED MORE PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO AREA WIN BENEFITS THAN ANY OTHER LAW FIRM.
ADHD can be a hard diagnosis to explain to Social Security. You may be able to get disability for ADHD if you document specific symptoms that limit your everyday functioning.
There’s no single test for ADHD, and Social Security won’t find you eligible for benefits based on a diagnosis alone.
ADHD also doesn’t have its own entry in Social Security’s impairment listings. Instead, claims adjudicators usually evaluate it under listing 12.11 for neurodevelopmental disorders. These are conditions that begin in childhood or adolescence, even if they aren’t diagnosed until later.
To meet listing 12.11, your medical records need to document at least one of these:
You also need to show an extreme limitation in one, or marked limitations in two, of these areas of mental functioning:
Many people with ADHD don’t meet the listing exactly.
Social Security can still approve benefits if your symptoms limit you so much that you can’t sustain full-time work. That decision depends on your residual functional capacity, which is Social Security’s assessment of the most you can still do despite your limitations.
Social Security will want to see your complete treatment history. That includes records from doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, clinics and hospitals.
It will also want to know which medications you take and whether your symptoms improved, stayed the same or got worse with treatment.
And Social Security looks at whether you followed your treatment plan. Stopping prescribed treatment without a good reason can hurt your claim.
Social Security uses different standards for children, focusing on how ADHD affects daily functioning compared with other children the same age.
Severe ADHD may qualify a child for children’s SSI benefits if the family also meets the program’s financial limits.
Get a FREE review of your ADHD disability claim.
ADHD claims face a high bar, so a strong case matters.
Nash Disability Law can help you build one by gathering much of the evidence Social Security needs. You play an important role, sharing details about your symptoms, treatment, work history and everyday life with ADHD.
Since ADHD isn’t automatically a disability on its own, the question becomes, “Is ADHD considered a disability in my particular situation?”
Strong ADHD claims often include evidence beyond medical records, such as:
Evidence of your other health conditions also matters.
ADHD often occurs alongside conditions such as depression and anxiety. In our experience, many people can build a stronger case around these related conditions, or around the combined effects of all their conditions, than around ADHD alone.
Social Security must consider all of your health problems together. Learn more about disability benefits for mental conditions.
The disability lawyers at Nash Disability Law know what Social Security looks for in ADHD claims, and how to put your story into words that claims adjudicators will understand.
Because we don’t get paid unless you win benefits, we have a stake in the success of your case.
Whether you’re applying for benefits for the first time or appealing a denial, we’re ready to help.
Thank you so very much for your help with my disability claim. Please thank each and everyone who helped in getting this done. Every time I had questions and had to call you for advice, whomever I spoke with at the time was very helpful and polite and most of all caring. Thank you so very much.
Thank you for all your help with my disability case. I felt very confident after discussing my claim with your attorneys. The representation I had for my court date was wonderful. I know I couldn’t have done all that you did on my own . I am very appreciative for all the hard work, time and care you gave to me!
As the Holiday season is upon us it reminds me of how very thankful I am to you all for providing the legal services you perform so well. Because of your work and dedication, even as my physical health gets worse as the years pass I am allowed the dignity to remain living in my own home. Being independent and staying in my own home provides me a good and decent life. Because of your efforts I have joy and hope in my life .
Thank you for letting your staff help me with my Social Security disability case. I am very happy with the outcome. Please, thank your staff for me. Lot of people do not know about trying to get Social Security disability benefits without a lawyer. They think it will happen and they will have all the money to themselves. I know I was one of them (smile). But thanks to T.V. I saw your commercial and made the call. God Bless you and your staff.
