Yes, it is possible to qualify for long term disability benefits if you are suffering from depression.
Not all disabling conditions involve outwardly-visible physical injuries. Mental impairments, such as depression, that severely limit your ability to work may qualify you to receive long term disability benefits if you have coverage under an individual or group policy. But, getting those benefits likely won’t be easy.
Obtaining disability benefits for depression will be a battle. Your insurer will want to document for itself that you are in fact disabled due to depression. That may mean an investigator camped outside your door waiting to catch you having fun or participating in activities that you asserted you were disabled and unable to do in your claim for benefits. An investigator will talk to your doctor and just possibly just about anyone else you’ve had contact with over the last several years.
If your application for benefits is denied, do not be afraid to appeal. Insurance companies get benefits decisions wrong, plain and simple. Their investigator may have caught you on a couple of “good” days and determined that to mean that you were not disabled due to depression. The disability insurance company may have failed to review key evidence in your claims file or to consider new evidence of your disability before making a determination.
Getting disability benefits for depression may be tough, but it is not impossible. A disability insurance attorney can work with you through the claims process, protecting your valid right to benefits from a wrongful denial.
Learn More: Expert Beacon, “Advice for securing disability benefits due to severe depression”