PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and SSDI
PTSD is evaluated under its own SSA listing. Veterans and trauma survivors can qualify when functional limitations are thoroughly documented.
What the SSA Looks For
PTSD is evaluated under Listing 12.15. The SSA requires documented exposure to a traumatic event plus intrusive symptoms, avoidance, negative mood/cognition alterations, and arousal/reactivity changes — plus paragraph B or C functional limitations.
Common Reasons Claims Are Denied
- Trauma history not clearly documented in medical records
- Functional limitations not connected to PTSD symptoms specifically
- Gaps in mental health treatment
- SSA underestimates hypervigilance and startle response work limitations
How to Strengthen Your Appeal
For veterans, VA disability ratings and C&P exam records are highly relevant — a 70% or 100% VA rating for PTSD is strong supporting evidence. Document hypervigilance, sleep disruption, and emotional dysregulation as work-limiting factors. Nightmares causing sleep deprivation affecting daytime functioning should be explicitly documented.
Key Medical Evidence Needed
- Psychiatric diagnosis records confirming PTSD with DSM-5 criteria
- For veterans: VA disability rating records and C&P exam results
- Mental RFC from treating psychiatrist or psychologist
- Records of trauma-focused therapy (EMDR, CPT, PE)
- Documentation of hypervigilance, nightmares, and avoidance behaviors
PTSD can be profoundly disabling, affecting every aspect of daily life and making sustained employment impossible. The SSA evaluates PTSD under Listing 12.15, which was added in 2017 to specifically address trauma and stressor-related disorders.
Veterans and SSDI: The VA Rating Connection
While a VA disability rating does not automatically qualify you for SSDI, a high VA rating for PTSD (70% or 100%) is taken seriously by SSA adjudicators. The evidence gathered for your VA claim — C&P exams, treatment records, buddy statements — should also be submitted to SSA.
Work-Specific PTSD Limitations
Document how PTSD symptoms specifically prevent work:
- Hypervigilance in workplace environments (open offices, crowded areas)
- Difficulty with authority figures or workplace supervision
- Sleep disruption causing cognitive impairment during work hours
- Triggered responses to workplace stress leading to decompensation
- Avoidance behaviors limiting the types of environments you can tolerate
Talk to a Disability Attorney — Free Consultation
SSDI attorneys work on contingency — you pay nothing unless you win, and fees are capped at 25% of back pay (maximum $9,200 in 2025). Most offer free initial consultations.
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