Not Sure if You Will Be Found Disabled By Social Security?
Just because you file a disability claim with Social Security there is no guarantee that you will be found disabled. So what can you do to prove your disability case?
If you feel that you are unable to perform substantial work activity due to some type of medical and/or mental condition, you may be able to be found disabled by Social Security if you have objective medical evidence that supports your allegation of disability. Social Security generally likes to have at least a twelve month longitudinal history of medical treatment to evaluate your disabling condition or conditions. In addition to a twelve month history, Social Security needs to have current medical treatment notes documenting your disability condition or conditions.
Of course, Social Security can make a medical determination based upon less than a twelve month history as long as the disability examiner can verify current medical treatment in the form of records or a report from a consultative exam that has been paid for by SSA.
However, since most claimants will be in the position of attempting to establish an onset date (when their disability began) that exists earlier than just a few months in the past, being able to provide at least 12 months of documented treatment is fairly important, and even more so in the case of psychiatric illnesses.
If you have no medical treatment information, or your treatment information is in the past with nothing current, Social Security will schedule a consultative examination with a paid medical source to obtain a current status of your disabling condition or conditions.
So what can you do to help prove your disability? It goes without saying that you should try to obtain medical treatment for your mental or physical disabling conditions.
However, if that has not been possible and you are required to attend a Social Security consultative examination you should give your best effort. If you go to a consultative examination and are perceived to be performing at less than your ability (and this holds true for a physical exam, a psychological exam, or a psychiatric evaluation) it will be noted in the consultative examination report, and you will have increased the likelihood of not being found disabled for Social Security disability or SSI disability benefits.
To recap, if you want to be found disabled by Social Security it is best for you to have current treatment and your own medical treatment sources. However, if you do not have any current treatment sources for you disabling condition and you are required to go to a Social Security consultative examination, be honest and give your best effort. In at least a few cases, the entire disability decision depends upon a consultative examination.
Other pragmatic suggestions would include the following:
1. When you file for disability, provide SSA with a complete list of your medical conditions. Chances are, if you leave something out it will be picked up by the disability examiner when the records are read and evaluated. However, that is not absolutely guaranteed. So list all your conditions as this will be important when it comes to rating what is referred to as your residual functional capacity. This is a measure of what you can and can no longer do, and it relates directly to your ability to perform work activity.
2. When you file for disability, provide a full list of your medical treatment sources. Do not leave off doctors and hospitals simply because you have not been seen by them in quite some time. What many applicants fail to realize is that in addition to determining if you are currently disabled, social security will attempt to discern when your disability began. Obviously, for this purpose, older records are very important. And it should be noted: the farther back your disability can be established, the farther back you may potentially receive back pay (At this point, however, I should clarify that SSI is payable to the date of the application, and SSD, or social security disability, is paying to the date of the application as well as potentially 12 months retroactive to the date of the application).
3. When you file for disability, try to accurately describe your past employment. Many applicants for disability do not realize this, but an accurate description of your past relevant work can make a difference in the outcome of your case. And without an accurate description of a job you performed in the past, the disability examiner may incorrectly categorize the job. For example, were you a truck driver? If so, what kind of truck did you drive? It makes a difference because some driving positions require more physically than others. Also, if you worked a technology job of some type, a detailed description of your job may be particularly helpful as the resource material used by disability examiners to "look up" your jobs is...very out of date.
Return to:
Social Security Disability Secrets
Social Security Disability Benefit Questions
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Disability, how many times do I have to apply?
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How to Claim Disability Benefits
If you feel that you are unable to perform substantial work activity due to some type of medical and/or mental condition, you may be able to be found disabled by Social Security if you have objective medical evidence that supports your allegation of disability. Social Security generally likes to have at least a twelve month longitudinal history of medical treatment to evaluate your disabling condition or conditions. In addition to a twelve month history, Social Security needs to have current medical treatment notes documenting your disability condition or conditions.
Of course, Social Security can make a medical determination based upon less than a twelve month history as long as the disability examiner can verify current medical treatment in the form of records or a report from a consultative exam that has been paid for by SSA.
However, since most claimants will be in the position of attempting to establish an onset date (when their disability began) that exists earlier than just a few months in the past, being able to provide at least 12 months of documented treatment is fairly important, and even more so in the case of psychiatric illnesses.
If you have no medical treatment information, or your treatment information is in the past with nothing current, Social Security will schedule a consultative examination with a paid medical source to obtain a current status of your disabling condition or conditions.
So what can you do to help prove your disability? It goes without saying that you should try to obtain medical treatment for your mental or physical disabling conditions.
However, if that has not been possible and you are required to attend a Social Security consultative examination you should give your best effort. If you go to a consultative examination and are perceived to be performing at less than your ability (and this holds true for a physical exam, a psychological exam, or a psychiatric evaluation) it will be noted in the consultative examination report, and you will have increased the likelihood of not being found disabled for Social Security disability or SSI disability benefits.
To recap, if you want to be found disabled by Social Security it is best for you to have current treatment and your own medical treatment sources. However, if you do not have any current treatment sources for you disabling condition and you are required to go to a Social Security consultative examination, be honest and give your best effort. In at least a few cases, the entire disability decision depends upon a consultative examination.
Other pragmatic suggestions would include the following:
1. When you file for disability, provide SSA with a complete list of your medical conditions. Chances are, if you leave something out it will be picked up by the disability examiner when the records are read and evaluated. However, that is not absolutely guaranteed. So list all your conditions as this will be important when it comes to rating what is referred to as your residual functional capacity. This is a measure of what you can and can no longer do, and it relates directly to your ability to perform work activity.
2. When you file for disability, provide a full list of your medical treatment sources. Do not leave off doctors and hospitals simply because you have not been seen by them in quite some time. What many applicants fail to realize is that in addition to determining if you are currently disabled, social security will attempt to discern when your disability began. Obviously, for this purpose, older records are very important. And it should be noted: the farther back your disability can be established, the farther back you may potentially receive back pay (At this point, however, I should clarify that SSI is payable to the date of the application, and SSD, or social security disability, is paying to the date of the application as well as potentially 12 months retroactive to the date of the application).
3. When you file for disability, try to accurately describe your past employment. Many applicants for disability do not realize this, but an accurate description of your past relevant work can make a difference in the outcome of your case. And without an accurate description of a job you performed in the past, the disability examiner may incorrectly categorize the job. For example, were you a truck driver? If so, what kind of truck did you drive? It makes a difference because some driving positions require more physically than others. Also, if you worked a technology job of some type, a detailed description of your job may be particularly helpful as the resource material used by disability examiners to "look up" your jobs is...very out of date.
Return to:
Other Posts
Reasons to apply for social security disability benefits
Disability, how many times do I have to apply?
Social security disability and hepatitis
Social Security Disability and Liver Disease
Social Security Disability and Schizophrenia
If I Win My Disability Benefits, When Do My Benefits Start?
How to Claim Disability Benefits
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