Patients tend to hold back from their doctors. No one wants to be injured, and sometimes facing the facts of an injury can be difficult, especially when that injury is life-altering. It’s important you discuss the details of your injury with your doctor to their full extent and make sure they know your application for social security disability. There are, however, some nuances to working with a doctor to pursue a necessary disability claim. Here are the steps that patients should take in filing their applications:
- Given how busy doctors are, the added time needed to file paperwork and write letters of support may make certain physicians wary about contributing to a patients’ disability claim.
- Have a conversation about how an injury has impacted your ability to work. The timing of this is critical as doctors are just people who are prone to exhaustion and being overworked. If you can have this conversation earlier in the day, when they have more energy to listen and work through a conversation with you could be integral to gaining their cooperation.
- A doctor report’s legibility sounds like an obvious necessity, but it can quickly create problems. If a doctor knows that their notes and documentation will be used in a disability application, they may choose to type those notes if their handwriting is not legible beyond their use.
- A doctor may be more inclined to include greater detail in a report and keep on top of application materials if you contact them directly and make sure they understand the importance of timely reporting.
- A caseworker will contact your doctor to determine whether the injuries reported match the impairment documented in an application.
- A physician who is difficult to contact or late in their responses could cost you a delay in your claim.
Maintain the accuracy of your statements
When a consultative exam takes place, any hint of dishonesty in a person’s impairment statements compared to their medical records will be noticeable. This dishonesty could very easily cause a social security disability claim denial. Naturally, concerns like the difficulty of getting back to work and family issues coupled with financial worries can influence a person to stretch the injury facts. If you want a real shot at filing a successful disability claim, it is essential that you are comprehensive in your descriptions of your injuries but also wholly truthful. The disability application process can be a complex and frustrating one.
