Getting a disability grant is a challenge if you have a mental illness

There are currently just over a million people across the country who receive the grant, mostly for a six or 12-month period. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) provides a list of eligibility criteria which includes a medical assessment from one of only 360 state-approved doctors. Unlike a physical disability, assessing a person with a disabling mental illness can be tricky for overburdened practitioners and staff who sometimes have little understanding of why the full or reduced disability grant is critical to the applicant’s wellbeing.