When you have an injury or an illness that affects your mental functioning, it can be impossible to remain gainfully employed – and your disability benefits are supposed to be there as a safety net.
Unfortunately, cognitive and psychological disabilities often provoke a lot of skepticism on the part of insurers because they can be faked. It’s also hard to prove a mental or cognitive disorder with tests, the way you can prove cancer or spinal injuries. That’s where neuropsychological evaluations can help.
What does neuropsychological testing cover?
This type of testing is considered highly scientific and objective because it is so intensive. It can be used to measure things like:
- How your condition affects your short-term and long-term memory
- How your perception of problems and events is affected by your condition
- The way that you currently are able to process written and verbal information
- Your executive functioning skills and ability to reason or solve problems
Ultimately, neuropsychological testing can be used to provide evidence about your ability to do numerous work-related tasks, including:
- Pay attention to detail, concentrate and stay on task
- Cope with the job environment and ordinary stressors
- Analyzing tasks to understand the steps required for completion
- Communicate your needs, thoughts or important information to others
Because the mind-body connection is very important, these tests can help show the severity of a wide range of conditions. Anybody with a brain injury, anxiety, post-stroke syndromes, lupus, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis or other conditions that create a “brain fog” can benefit from this type of exam.
Proving you should be entitled to ERISA disability benefits isn’t always easy. When you suspect that your claim isn’t going to be easy or you’re already experiencing problems, get legal guidance so that you can protect your rights.