Medical evidence is the bedrock of any disability argument. The Social Security Administration (SSA) disability analyst will examine your data to assess if you cannot work due to a serious physical or cognitive impairment.
Receiving benefits is highly unlikely if you do not provide accurate, timely, and adequate medical proof to support your Social Security disability claim. An experienced Social Security disability attorney can tell you more about the conditions that qualify for long term disability in the U.S., so speak to one today.
Why are your medical records necessary?
The SSA values your medical data for several reasons:
- They meticulously document the details of your condition.
- They describe any therapy you receive for such diseases.
- They depict your reactions to any therapy provided by your doctors.
Even an experienced attorney may struggle to show that you are handicapped under Social Security regulations without medical documents explaining your issues. The Social Security Administration requires documentation of your impairment. While you may have witnesses to your illnesses, thorough medical records are the biggest proof. Both historical and current medical records are essential. Previous medical records provide a history of your condition. Current records demonstrate how your condition has deteriorated over time or how you have sought to treat your issues.
What medical records does the Social Security Administration accept?
Depending on one’s understanding of what constitutes “medical treatment,” the material you provide to the SSA may be disregarded and not considered for assessing whether or not you are handicapped. It is critical to grasp the distinction between acceptable and unsatisfactory medical records.
- Licensed physicians, such as your primary care physician
- Psychologists who are licensed
- Optometrists (eye physicians) who are licensed
- Speech therapists who are licensed or certified
- Podiatrists (foot physicians) who are licensed
- Records and documents from hospitals, healthcare facilities, and professional clinics
What role does medical evidence play in the Social Security Administration?
Social Security uses a five-step sequential evaluation method to determine disability. Steps 2 and 3 include the use of medical evidence.
- Step 1
You demonstrated that you are not engaged in significant gainful activities. Your earnings from work do not exceed the SSA’s set limit.
- Step 2
A claims examiner looks for a medically determinable disability—or a combination of impairments—severe enough to interfere with work-related activities and expected to endure for at least 12 months or result in death. The SSA takes into account both physical and mental disabilities.
- Step 3
A deeper investigation of the severity of your disease. An adjudicator examines your medically determinable disability to see if it matches or surpasses a designation in the designation of impairments, popularly known as the “Blue Book.”
It is critical to recognize that simply because your illness is listed in the Blue Book does not guarantee your claim will be granted. The listings are limited, and most claims are gained at Steps 4 or 5.
