Your Medical Story Is Key to Getting Social Security Disability Benefits

To say that you have a medical disability that has kept you from working is not enough of a reason to be eligible for Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits. You must prove it. Your medical history is critical to your Social Security disability claim. To build a strong case you must get accurate medical reports from all your doctors and other treatment sources. This information is what the Social Security Administration (SSA) will scrutinize in order to make absolutely certain that you are unable to work at a job to earn income and that your physical and/or mental condition is deemed a medical disability that qualifies you for benefits. Unless you clearly have a condition that meets SSA's definition of disability, you will have to make absolutely sure that the medical history you collect from your physicians is complete and that all information they provide to support your claim is, in fact, supportive.

Watch for Inaccurate Medical Documentation How you interact with your doctors about your condition is very important if you are in the process of documenting your medical disability to SSA. For example, if you are following your doctor's recommendations to minimize physical activities that could worsen your condition, that is what you should do. But if you tell your doctor that you are feeling better and your doctor writes that down in your medical file and then duplicates this information on the medical forms that are required for your case, that statement could mislead SSA to incorrectly interpret your condition as not severe enough to prohibit you from working at a job. Be careful that you do not minimize your symptoms when interacting with your doctor. Something as seemingly minor as saying "I'm better" when you actually mean, "I am doing what you told me to do," could affect the accuracy of how your doctor documents your symptoms.

Quick Tips for the Doctor's Office

Remind your doctor that you are applying for Social Security disability benefits.
Be factual about how you describe your symptoms to your doctor.
Keep a journal about your condition to remind yourself of what to tell your doctor at appointments.
Tell the doctor to expect that SSA will be requesting your medical records.
If you go to a new doctor be sure to explain how your condition impacts your daily activities.

Be Sure Your Medical History is Current It can take many months for SSA to make a decision on your Social Security disability case. If anything changes in your medical history, be sure that SSA has received updated information from your doctors. Any new evidence you provide will help you get the favorable decision you want from SSA about your medical disability.

Suzanna is an expert author on the subject of Social Security Disability and is employed with Freedom Disability in Shelton, Connecticut. Suzanna writes about information and educational resources on all topics regarding Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).