The work history itself
A run of short jobs, each ending the same way, is evidence of sustained functioning that no clinical note can replace. Dates and reasons for leaving matter.
Social Security Disability
Disability Benefits for PTSD
With PTSD the workplace is frequently the problem itself. That is a different argument from being too unwell to work.
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Why this is not filed as depression with a different name.
PTSD is assessed within the same framework as other mental health conditions, across the same areas of functioning. What differs is the shape of the impairment, and a claim written as though it were depression usually misses the point.
Depression tends to be argued through what somebody cannot summon: energy, concentration, motivation. PTSD is more often argued through what happens when they are exposed to something: a noise, a smell, a crowded room, an authority figure, a particular time of year. The person may function reasonably well in a controlled environment and be unable to function at all in an ordinary workplace.
That is why the avoidance matters as much as the distress. A working life is not made of controlled environments, and the claim has to explain that plainly.
Who this page is for
Anybody with PTSD arising from military service, from assault, from a serious accident, from work as a first responder, or from any other trauma, who cannot sustain employment because of it.
- Triggers and reactivity What happens when exposure occurs.
- Avoidance Places, people and situations already ruled out.
- Sleep and hypervigilance Exhaustion arriving before the day starts.
- Supervision and confrontation Often the specific thing that ends a job.
The treatment paradox, and how to answer it
Here is the difficulty that catches these claims more than any other.
Avoidance is a defining feature of PTSD. Attending appointments means leaving the house, sitting in a waiting room, and describing the trauma out loud to a stranger. The condition actively works against engaging with the treatment that would document it.
An examiner then sees an inconsistent treatment record and reads it the way they read any other: as evidence the condition is not severe. The exact opposite is frequently true.
What helps
Getting the reason into the record rather than leaving the gap unexplained. A clinician who has written that the patient disengaged because of avoidance is describing a symptom. A file that simply stops for eight months is describing nothing, and it will be read unsympathetically.
Where somebody has been in and out of treatment for years, that pattern is itself the evidence, and it should be presented as a pattern rather than apologized for.
Evidence that carries weight in a PTSD claim
Some of it is not medical at all.
Treatment records, gaps included
With the reason for each gap recorded. An unexplained absence is read as recovery; an explained one is read as symptom.
Service or incident records
Where the trauma is documented elsewhere, including VA records for veterans, that material establishes the stressor without you having to relive it repeatedly.
Somebody who lives with it
Describing the nights, the reactions, and the places you no longer go. Frequently the most concrete evidence in the file.
Questions
PTSD claim questions
General information, not legal advice. Every case turns on its own facts. The only way to know where yours stands is to have someone look at it.
I get VA disability. Does that decide my Social Security claim?
No. They are separate systems with different tests, and a VA rating does not bind Social Security. It is still useful evidence, and the underlying records behind a rating are often more useful than the rating itself.
My trauma was not military.
The cause does not change the analysis. Assault, a serious accident, childhood trauma, work as a first responder or medical staff, and domestic abuse all produce claims that are assessed the same way. What matters is the effect on functioning.
I can manage at home. Does that count against me?
It gets raised. The answer is that home is a controlled environment you have shaped around the condition, and a workplace is not. Describing what you have had to arrange in order to cope at home is often more persuasive than describing the coping.
I do not want to talk about what happened.
You do not have to relive it for us. Most of the time the existing records establish what is needed, and where a hearing requires it we prepare you in advance so nothing arrives unexpectedly. Tell us what you would rather not discuss and we will work around it as far as the process allows.
It happened at work.
Then there may be a workers compensation claim as well. Ohio treats psychological conditions arising at work differently from physical injuries, so it is worth asking early rather than assuming either way.
What we charge
Our fees are set by federal statute, are contingency only, and are the lesser of 25% not to exceed the statutory maximum of $9,200.
There is nothing to pay up front and nothing to pay if the claim does not succeed. The fee comes out of past-due benefits when they are awarded, and it has to be approved.
If your condition is not one of these
The conditions we have written about are the ones we are asked about most often. They are not the only ones that qualify, and the list is not a test you have to appear on.
A disability claim is decided on what your conditions do to your ability to work, not on the name of the diagnosis. Several problems that are each manageable on their own can add up to something that is not, and that combination is frequently the strongest part of a claim.
If what you have is not on this site, that tells you nothing about your claim. Tell us what you have been diagnosed with and what it stops you doing, and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth pursuing.
Other Social Security Disability pages
The rest of this practice area, in case your situation fits one of them better.
All Social Security Disability
SSDI denials, appeals and hearings.
Initial Applications
We prepare and file the whole claim. Most clients start here.
SSDI vs SSI
Two different programs, two different sets of rules.
Disability Appeals
What to do when the claim comes back denied.
Disability Hearings
The hearing in front of the judge, and how we prepare you for it.
SSI Children's Cases
Benefits for a child whose disability affects how they function.
SSD Widow's Benefits
Drawing on a late spouse's record, from 60, or from 50 if disabled.
Back Injuries & Spine Conditions
Qualifying with a spine condition, where function decides it.
Neck Injuries & Conditions
Cervical claims turn on the hands and arms, not the back.
Cancer
Some diagnoses qualify outright. Others turn on what treatment left behind.
COPD & Respiratory Conditions
Breathing test values, and the day the test was taken.
Depression & Anxiety Disorders
Assessed on functioning across a working week, not on a diagnosis.
Multiple Sclerosis
A fluctuating illness, assessed on a single day. Closing that gap.
Heart Disease
Measured exertion, and the difference between stable and employable.
Stroke
What is left when recovery stops, and when to make the claim.
Bipolar Disorder
The cycle decides it. Well periods are read as capacity.
Arthritis
Which joints. Ones you stand on and ones you work with.
Amputations
The prosthesis, not the amputation, is what gets argued about.
The three areas we handle
One incident can open more than one claim, and they are handled together here.
Client Reviews
What our clients say
If I could give a MILLION PLUS stars I DEFINITELY would!! I contacted Mr. Steve Casper to handle my SSI case. I filed at first on my own and I was denied. He was VERY professional, honest and upfront about the clients he takes. He reassured me that I DID have a strong case. I got the news today that HE won my case for me!!!!
Kelly Bilbrey
Google Review
We cannot thank Casper and Casper enough for sticking with us through 4 years of back and forth to help our son (who has autism) receive his SSI benefits. From beginning to end we were treated with kindness. They were very thorough and made sure we understood the process and what we would face along the way. The relief we have received is immense.
joanna powers
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Casper x3 were a lifesaver. I chose them because they practice in our region and understand what exactly I needed. I did not want someone from out of town. Their team from top to bottom helped me in my SSDI case. I tried it first on my own and was denied. Having decades of SSDI and court experience, Robin Partin helped me from step to step to go thru the process and had my back 100% in the hearing.
Daniel Ethridge
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Steve Casper was VERY professional. Very compassionate. He explained things in an easy to understand way. He took my case after a previous firm dropped me in a very hurtful unprofessional way. He got my disabilty case approved from the very beginning. Steve is worth EVERY penny. I now will have my monthly payments to survive with my conditions and back pay to boot.
Jen Jen
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Steve Casper and Ben were amazing! They literally did all the work for me and I only had to fill out a few forms. I won my case and absolutely could not have done this without them! They are very professional and kind. I was very nervous about this whole process but their words of encouragement helped me a lot!
dragonmastergirl
Google Review
I highly recommend for anyone dealing with the disability process to contact Casper, Casper & Casper. Steve Casper along with Ben Hite were VERY helpful in the entire process. If I a had any questions or concerns; they had the answers and reassured me everything would be okay. They worked diligently on my case for months and I was FINALLY approved. This team of attorneys WILL help fight for you as they have for me.
Kimberly Moore
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