What can keep a person from being able to work? There are various situations, work injuries, other injuries and illnesses that can keep employees from performing their jobs. Often, the inability to work is a short-term, temporary hurdle. For others, their injury or illness could make for a long-term disability.
Whatever might be causing a worker’s hardship, he or she deserves a fair chance not just to have time off but to be able to properly take care of themselves. In the past, a certain kind of illness has not only been harder for people to seek treatment and pay for, but it also could be tough to get support for in regards to disability payments and time off of work.
Will the attitude behind a new mental health care law seep into the area of Social Security disability insurance for mentally ill workers? That is up for the future to tell, but one can certainly hope that those who struggle with mental health problems will find it easier to get the support that they need to live better lives.
The new mental health coverage law as supported by the Obama administration will make the costs associated with mental health checkups and treatment comparable to those of other medical health issues. Therefore, those covered by the Affordable Care Act should be able to see someone about, for example, depression, and be treated as though it were something as simple as the flu.
Sure, there have been financial hurdles regarding mental health disorders. There is also a stigma tied to disorders like depression, anxiety, etc. Currently, the country is trying to reduce those hurdles and address more people’s mental illnesses that, in the long run, can make for a sicker country overall.
How does this relate to disability payments? Just like mental illness is a condition worth affordable, easy-to-access treatment, mental illness can also be a reason why someone cannot work. Someone who believes that their mental health warrants them financial support should talk to a SSDI attorney to get some clarity during a stressful time.
Source: USA Today, “New rule requires equal treatment for mental illness,” Kelly Kennedy and Aamer Madhani, Nov. 8, 2013