When filing for Social Security Disability (SSD), the most important thing to remember is that you must be able to prove your claim. To be approved, you must be able to show without a doubt that your injury or condition is severe enough to keep you from working and therefore warrants government assistance. The most effective way to justify your need is by providing accurate and complete medical records along with your claim.
The Importance of Your Complete Medical Record
The SSD review board does not have the time, resources, nor the inclination to interview each disability candidate to judge the severity of a condition. According to Social Security Administration records, over 2.4 million people applied for disability in 2015 alone. To put this into perspective, this means that in order to get through all of the applications, the SSD would have to review and determine the eligibility of over 6,750 applications a day. That’s a lot. Now imagine if each of those applications had a personal interview attached to it.
You think waiting in line at the grocery store checkout lane is bad. This would be utter chaos.
Rather than making applicants wait in a never-ending line just to be forced to prove that they can’t work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) asks for something else: medical records that prove the applicant has a severe and disabling condition. Instructions encourage applicants to include detailed medical records or a signed waiver giving the SSA permission to access pertinent medical records. This information can help the panel determine the extent of your injuries and the need for disability benefits.
The Way You Submit Medical Information Can Strengthen Your Claim
Before filing your claim, you must make sure that your records are complete. Otherwise, you run the risk of having your benefits delayed as the panel is forced to investigate further. The panel can also deny your benefits because of insufficient evidence.
Your records should be:
- Professional. The best medical records are those that are typed, easy to read, and professional. Handwritten notes or opinions of friends are not useful for the panel.
- Thorough. To avoid delays or confusion, your records should mention all of your symptoms, any actions or movements that irritate the condition, and the final prognosis.
- Insightful. The panel should also be able to decipher the treatment plan your doctors have devised. This should include results of examinations, what treatments have been tried, the effects of those treatments, and future plans and prognoses.
To ensure that your records are complete and sufficient for the SSD panel, you may want to consider the help of a professional. Contact our office today to get the support and resources you need to file a successful claim.