Disability for PTSD

PTSD can be disabling — and compensable.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can qualify for Social Security disability for veterans and civilians alike. We build the record that proves how it limits your ability to work.

PTSD SSDI

How SSA evaluates a PTSD claim.

PTSD is evaluated under SSA’s trauma- and stressor-related disorders listing. For veterans, the VA record — C&P exams, rating decisions, service treatment records — is powerful supporting evidence the SSA must consider.

The functional test governs. SSA assesses the same four areas — understanding and memory; interacting with others; concentrating and maintaining pace; and adapting or managing yourself. Documented intrusive memories, hypervigilance, avoidance, and mood and sleep disturbance build the picture.

Whether your trauma is combat-related or civilian, consistent mental-health treatment and clear provider statements about your functional limits are what make a PTSD claim provable.

SSA Evaluation

How SSA evaluates PTSD claims.

Blue Book Listing
12.15

SSA evaluates the functional impact of your condition — how it limits your ability to sustain full-time work — not the diagnosis alone.

12.15
SSA trauma & stressor disorders listing
Common Limitations

PTSD-related limitations SSA evaluates.

These are the functional limitations that most often determine whether a ptsd claim is approved.

Hypervigilance and concentration

PTSD makes sustained focus and a normal work pace extremely difficult. We document how symptoms disrupt your ability to function through a full workday.

Avoidance and triggers

Avoidance behaviors and trauma triggers can rule out many work environments. We show how they limit the jobs you could realistically hold.

Sleep, mood, and reliability

Sleep disturbance and mood symptoms drive absenteeism and unreliability — central to many winning PTSD claims.

How We Help

Winning disability for ptsd: what we do.

Disability law is all we do. Here’s how we build a ptsd claim that wins.

01

Build the record

Compile your full treatment record — and, for veterans, your VA C&P exams and rating decisions.

02

Functional opinion

Obtain a detailed functional opinion documenting marked limitations in SSA’s terms.

03

Hearing-ready

Prepare you to describe your symptoms and their daily impact at your hearing — we know it’s hard to talk about.

FAQs

PTSD SSDI questions.

Can I get SSDI for PTSD?
Yes. PTSD can qualify under SSA listing 12.15 when documented symptoms seriously limit your ability to function and work. It applies to veterans and civilians alike.
Does my VA rating help my SSDI claim?
A VA rating doesn’t automatically win SSDI — the standards differ — but the underlying evidence (C&P exams, rating decisions) is strong support that SSA must consider.
Can I get VA disability and SSDI for PTSD at the same time?
Yes. They’re separate programs with no offset — you can receive both. Many veterans collect full VA compensation and full SSDI simultaneously.
What if my PTSD is from civilian trauma?
It qualifies the same way. The cause of the trauma doesn’t change the analysis — what matters is documented symptoms and their functional impact.
What evidence strengthens a PTSD claim?
Consistent therapy and psychiatric records, provider statements about functional limits, and — for veterans — VA records. Third-party statements from family about daily functioning help too.
What does it cost to hire you?
Nothing up front. We work on contingency — no fee unless we win, with fees capped by federal law as a percentage of back pay.

PTSD keeping you from working? Let’s review.

Free case review. No obligation. We respond within 2 business hours.

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