Biomaterial Database

Social Security and SSI benefits for the mentally disabled. 1982

J R Anderson

More than a half million mentally ill or mentally retarded individuals received Social Security or Supplemental Security Income disability payments in 1980. To become eligible for these payments, claimants must go through a multilayered adjudication process to establish the severity of their condition. Yet because of their symptoms, many mentally disabled individuals are unable to fend for themselves properly through this process. The author describes the different levels in the adjudication process, outlines the problems the mentally disabled encounter in applying for benefits, and proposes an advocacy program for mental health professionals to follow in assisting claimants in applying for benefits. Such an advocacy program should be given high priority in the operational budgets of all publicly funded mental health and mental retardation facilities, the author asserts.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007344	Insurance Claim Reporting	The design, completion, and filing of forms with the insurer.	Claim Reporting, Insurance,Reporting, Insurance Claim
D008607	Intellectual Disability	Subnormal intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period. This has multiple potential etiologies, including genetic defects and perinatal insults. Intelligence quotient (IQ) scores are commonly used to determine whether an individual has an intellectual disability. IQ scores between 70 and 79 are in the borderline range. Scores below 67 are in the disabled range. (from Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1992, Ch55, p28)	Disability, Intellectual,Idiocy,Mental Retardation,Retardation, Mental,Deficiency, Mental,Intellectual Development Disorder,Mental Deficiency,Mental Retardation, Psychosocial,Deficiencies, Mental,Development Disorder, Intellectual,Development Disorders, Intellectual,Disabilities, Intellectual,Disorder, Intellectual Development,Disorders, Intellectual Development,Intellectual Development Disorders,Intellectual Disabilities,Mental Deficiencies,Mental Retardations, Psychosocial,Psychosocial Mental Retardation,Psychosocial Mental Retardations,Retardation, Psychosocial Mental,Retardations, Psychosocial Mental
D010344	Patient Advocacy	Promotion and protection of the rights of patients, frequently through a legal process.	Patient Ombudsmen,Patient Representatives,Clinical Ombudsman,Patient Ombudsman,Advocacy, Patient,Ombudsman, Clinical,Ombudsman, Patient,Ombudsmen, Patient,Patient Representative,Representative, Patient,Representatives, Patient
D004185	Disability Evaluation	Determination of the degree of a physical, mental, or emotional handicap. The diagnosis is applied to legal qualification for benefits and income under disability insurance and to eligibility for Social Security and workmen's compensation benefits.	Disability Evaluations,Evaluation, Disability,Evaluations, Disability
D004282	Documentation	Systematic organization, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of specialized information, especially of a scientific or technical nature (From ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science, 1983). It often involves authenticating or validating information.	Documentations
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001523	Mental Disorders	Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function.	Mental Illness,Psychiatric Diseases,Psychiatric Disorders,Psychiatric Illness,Behavior Disorders,Diagnosis, Psychiatric,Mental Disorders, Severe,Psychiatric Diagnosis,Illness, Mental,Mental Disorder,Mental Disorder, Severe,Mental Illnesses,Psychiatric Disease,Psychiatric Disorder,Psychiatric Illnesses,Severe Mental Disorder,Severe Mental Disorders
D012943	Social Security	Government sponsored social insurance programs.	Aid to the Blind,Aid to the Totally Disabled,Social Insurance,Aid to Totally Disabled Persons,Aid to Visually Impaired,Aid to Visually Impaired Persons,Insurance, Social,Security, Social
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D014483	United States Dept. of Health and Human Services	A cabinet department in the Executive Branch of the United States Government concerned with administering those agencies and offices having programs pertaining to health and human services.	DHHS,Department of Health and Human Services (U.S.),United States Department of Health and Human Services,United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,Department of Health and Human Services,United States Department of Health,United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare,United States Department of Health, Human Services,United States Department of Human Services,United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services