Evidently, you may understand that your drug or alcohol abuse issue does not qualify as a disability in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) eyes. However, you may wonder if your history of substance abuse or alcoholism will hinder your eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits for your currently existent physical, mental, or emotional disability. You may even be unsure whether this will be brought up during your application process in the first place. Well, continue reading to learn whether the SSA will order you to take drug or alcohol tests before approving you for SSDI benefits and how an experienced New Jersey SSDI attorney at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur can help you get the support you need.
Will the SSA initiate drug or alcohol tests before granting SSDI benefits?
In short, the SSA will not take it upon themselves to order you to drug or alcohol testing as part of your SSDI benefits application process. However, they may conduct a review of your supplied medical records. Now, these medical records may disclose your past results for blood or urine tests. These tests may not have necessarily been intended for random drug or alcohol testing. Nonetheless, they may still indicate your drug or alcohol use. While the SSA may not discredit your application for one negative test result, a pattern of such may raise a red flag for them.
Will a history of substance abuse affect my chances of getting SSDI benefits?
Importantly, the SSA holds the right to deny your SSDI benefits claim if they conclude that your drug or alcohol abuse issue is “a contributing factor material to the determination of disability.” In simpler terms, your substance abuse or alcoholism plays a significant role in your current health status; and you may not even have your currently existent physical, mental, or emotional disability if you stopped abusing drugs or alcohol. Therefore, to determine how much of an impact your substance abuse history has on you today, the SSA may evaluate the following circumstances:
- Whether or not your medical records show that your treating medical professional once diagnosed you with a substance use disorder.
- Whether or not your substance abuse issue is the sole basis for your inability to maintain substantial gainful employment activity.
- Whether or not your substance abuse issue caused your physical, mental, or emotional disability or otherwise makes them worse.
- Whether or not you would still experience debilitating physical, mental, or emotional limitations without using drugs or alcohol.
- Whether or not your physical, mental, or emotional limitations are unmanageable only because of their interaction with your drug or alcohol use.
If you find yourself at a crossroads, please seek the sound advisement of a skilled New Jersey SSDI attorney. Someone at the Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur will stand by your side at a moment’s notice.
