Panic disorder is a medical condition that’s characterized by sudden, repeated episodes of intense fear despite no danger being present. Although panic disorder is considered a mental health condition, it can manifest physical symptoms such as tremors, sweating, or chest pain. These symptoms, among others, can significantly interfere with your ability to complete your daily routine, attend school, or finish job tasks without reasonable accommodations.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes that panic disorder can pose a significant barrier to employment. If you have frequent, severe panic attacks that interfere with your ability to work full-time for at least twelve months, you might qualify for disability. Before you apply for benefits, it’s important to know what criteria the SSA uses to determine if your panic disorder should be considered disabling and what medical evidence you’ll need to show that it is.

In This Article

When Is Panic Disorder Considered a Disability?

Social Security awards disability benefits to people who have a medically determinable impairment that keeps them from earning at the level of substantial gainful activity for one year or more. Disabling impairments can be physical, mental, or both, but they must result in functional limitations that rule out all full-time employment.

For people with panic disorder, whether or not they will be found disabled is highly dependent on the duration, frequency, and severity of their panic attacks. Potentially disabling symptoms of panic attacks include:

  • racing heartbeat or feeling like you’re having a heart attack
  • a sense of impending doom or serious danger
  • fear of loss of control or death
  • sweating and shaking
  • shortness of breath or hyperventilating
  • chest pain or headache, and
  • dizziness or feeling you are going to faint.

Simply having a panic attack or being diagnosed with panic disorder isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be found disabled. Many people experience symptoms of a panic attack at least once in their lifetime, and panic disorder that is well-controlled with therapy or medication is unlikely to affect your ability to work in a meaningful way.

How Can I Get Disability for Anxiety and Panic Attacks?

You can get disability benefits for panic attacks in one of two ways—if you can show that your panic disorder is severe enough to meet a listed impairment, or if your panic disorder prevents you from working at any job.

Getting Disability for Panic Attacks by Meeting the Listing for Anxiety

Anxiety and panic disorders are included in Social Security’s Listing of Impairments that the agency considers automatically disabling in certain circumstances. You can be found disabled by “meeting” listing 12.06 if you’ve been diagnosed with panic disorder or agoraphobia and you experience one or both of the following:

  • panic attacks followed by a persistent worry about the consequences of having future panic attacks, and
  • disproportionate (stronger than is warranted) fear or anxiety about being in at least two different situations (for example, being in a public place, being in a crowded area, taking the bus, waiting in line, or being outside of your home).

You must also be able to show that you have an “extreme” (debilitating) limitation in one, or a "marked" (intense, but not debilitating) limitation in two, of the following areas:

  • understanding, remembering, and applying information (such as following directions)
  • interacting with others using socially appropriate behaviors
  • concentrating on and finishing tasks, and
  • adapting to change or managing oneself (like maintaining hygiene).

To be found disabled by meeting listing 12.06, you’ll need to provide medical evidence from a psychiatrist or psychologist that shows the extent of your panic attacks. Your medical records should contain at least one full description of a typical panic attack, documentation of how long your panic attacks last for and how often they occur, and possible causes for the panic attacks.

!An infographic showing the elements of getting disability for panic disorder!An infographic showing the elements of getting disability for panic disorder

If you have doctors, counselors, or therapists who have witnessed you during one of your panic attacks, they should include their observations along with a medical opinion discussing any difficulties with public interaction, decision making, or concentration you have as a result of your panic disorder. You can also have a friend or family member who’s seen you have panic attacks provide a description of what they saw.

Getting Disability for Panic Disorder by Showing That You Can’t Work

Not everybody with panic disorder experiences panic attacks of the duration and severity required to meet the listing. But you can still qualify for disability benefits if you can show that panic disorder keeps you from performing any job. Social Security decides whether you can work by looking at your daily activities and medical records to determine your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is a set of restrictions on the most you’re capable of doing, mentally or physically, at work.

Some people are able to manage their panic disorder with medication, breathing exercises, or self-soothing behavior. But other people can have more difficulty getting their panic attacks under control. If your panic attacks go untreated, you may be affected in the following ways:

  • developing phobias, such as being afraid to leave your home (agoraphobia)
  • avoidance of social situations
  • getting into conflicts with supervisors, coworkers, and the public while at work
  • being diagnosed with depression
  • increased risk of suicide, and
  • issues with substance abuse.

During a panic attack, you’re likely to have very limited functional abilities. If you’re feeling paralyzed with fear, doing any kind of work can seem impossible. Even when you’re not actively experiencing a panic attack, your mind might be preoccupied worrying about when another panic attack might occur. Such chronic anxiety can affect your ability to concentrate, complete tasks, or get along with others in the workplace. If your mental impairments are significant enough, they could affect your ability to work at any job.

The amount of restrictions in your RFC depends on how severe your panic disorder is. More limitations in your RFC means that fewer jobs exist that you’re able to perform safely, and certain restrictions can rule out full-time work entirely. For example, somebody who experiences a mild panic attack every month might need an extra 15-minute break to get their fear under control, but that limitation is unlikely to eliminate all jobs. But somebody who is unable to leave their house for days because of ongoing agoraphobia isn’t likely to maintain full-time work.

Disability Benefit Amounts for Panic Disorder

Social Security doesn't award benefits based on the type of disabling condition you have, so you won’t get any more or less for panic disorder than you would for any other medical impairment. Instead, the amount you'll receive if you're awarded benefits will depend on whether you're eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

SSDI eligibility is based on your work history, while SSI is a needs-based benefit with income and asset limits. You can learn more in our article on how much in disability benefits you can get from Social Security.

VA Disability Compensation for Panic Disorder

Veterans who have service-connected panic disorder may qualify for disability compensation from the VA. According to the Schedule for Rating Disabilities (38 C.F.R. 4 (2026)), panic disorder is assigned a diagnostic code of 9412 and symptoms are evaluated using the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

Under this formula, veterans with panic disorder can get a compensable disability rating of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100%, depending on how severely limiting their symptoms are. For additional information—including charts for ratings criteria and the corresponding disability payments—see our article on VA ratings for a service-connected mental health disability.

How to Apply for Disability Benefits

Filing a disability claim with Social Security is fairly straightforward. You’ll start by completing Form SSA-16, which you can complete electronically, over the phone, or in person. Here’s how you can submit your application:

Applying for VA benefits is done in a similar manner. You'll need to complete Form 21-526EZ, Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits, which you can do in a few ways:

  • File online using the electronic version of Form 21-526.
  • Fax Form 21-526EZ to 844-531-7818 (from inside the United States) or 248-524-4260 (from outside the U.S.).
  • Bring your application to your local VA office.
  • Mail the form to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, PO Box 4444, Janesville, WI 53547-4444.

Veterans can receive both VA and Social Security benefits, although being found disabled by one agency doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get disability from the other due to the different criteria for each. But if you have medical records strong enough for the VA to give you a 100% disability rating for panic disorder, it’s likely that Social Security will come to a similar conclusion.

What If My Panic Disorder Doesn’t Qualify for Disability?

Few people are awarded disability benefits on their first try, and gathering the medical evidence needed to support an application for panic disorder can be challenging and time-consuming. If you’ve received a denial or disagree with your VA rating, consider getting help from an experienced disability attorney or advocate to help you submit an appeal.

Your lawyer or representative will know how to obtain the proper medical evidence to support an argument that your panic disorder meets the listing or that you’d be unable to work full-time. Your attorney can help you document your panic attacks, handle communications with the SSA or the VA, and represent you at a hearing in front of an administrative law judge if necessary.

Disability lawyers work on contingency, meaning they don’t get paid unless (and until) you win, so there’s little up-front cost to you in hiring one. Additionally, many representatives offer free consultations, allowing you to ask around until you find one who you think is a good match. If you’re ready to speak to an attorney, our article on how to find a good disability lawyer can help you in your search for representation.