Who Can I Use for Medical Evidence on my Disability Claim?

What Treatment Sources & Records Should I Use as Evidence?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) only accepts records and opinions from accepted medical sources. This means that in a disability application, medical and other records not considered created or offered by an acceptable source will be disregarded. The result is that it is significantly more difficult to prove a disability and an inability to work.

Accepted Medical Sources Defined

An accepted medical source is a medical professional that the SSA recognizes as such. This does not mean that the individual is a licensed physician, but rather that he holds a degree and license in his field, and that his field of medicine is acknowledged by the SSA. Acknowledgement refers to the field being considered one that has a proven medical benefit. In addition to physicians and nurses, psychologists, optometrists, speech pathologists, podiatrists, physical therapists and other, similar professionals are accepted medical sources.

Is the Treatment Covered by Medicare? Are they Licensed?

A general rule is that if the professional’s services are covered by Medicaid or Medicare, they are likely an accepted medical source. State laws concerning which professionals are considered medical professionals are irrelevant. To determine whether a medical professional is considered an accepted source, check either or both of the federal medical benefit websites.

Usually, the medical professional must be licensed, practicing and have experience with the type of claimed disability. For example, a licensed psychiatrist would not be considered an acceptable source for a kidney disorder disability because he does not have experience in that field of medicine.

The Importance of Medical Sources

The SSA requires that all disability applicants provide thorough medical evidence and other documentation of their diagnosis, length of disability, prognosis and treatment attempts. These records are used to substantiate their claims and, eventually, determine how much in disability benefits they should receive, if approved.

Documentation, records or other evidence not provided by an accepted medical source will at least be disregarded. This means that the application will not contain the required evidence and will be considered incomplete. While it is probable that the SSA will request that the applicant provide additional information from accepted medical sources, there is no guarantee of this, and it is possible that they will deny the application outright.

Additionally, even if the SSA requests additional information, there is no guarantee that the applicant has it. This means that the applicant will have to find new physicians and essentially begin the process of diagnosing themselves from the beginning. Alternatively, the SSA may require the applicant to go to a consultative examination with a doctor of their choosing. This could significantly delay the progress of their application and, if long enough, could result in the SSA rejecting the application due to a lack of evidence.

Seek legal advice prior to filing for disability. A lawyer will discuss which medical professionals the SSA views as appropriate sources of information about your disability.