Understand that you’re not unusual if you received a notification saying that your social security disability claim was denied, as an estimated 70% of applications are turned down during the initial evaluation phase. However, the bulk of SSD denials is because of a lack of medical support. According to the SSA, medical data is the foundation of the disability assessment. Medical denials can occur if you didn’t provide enough medical evidence to back up your claim of disability or if you didn’t provide enough information about how the disability affected your work abilities. Visit this page to learn more about what you can do if your claim did not go through.  

Required medical evidence:

Medical proof is more than just a statement from the doctor declaring that you have a condition and that it prevents you from working. There may be particular requirements that must be satisfied depending on your medical condition to be eligible for SSD benefits. These specifications are listed by the SSA in its “blue book,” with more than 100 debilitating conditions that are eligible for SSD benefits. 

The majority of the time, though, appropriate medical evidence consists of previous and current medication records as well as hospital, doctor, and therapist records that include all notes, lab test results, X-rays, CAT scans, MRIs, and other imaging tests, care plan, and the explanations why any course of care or treatment was discontinued.

Note that while medical documents older than 90 days can be of use in demonstrating that your condition has not improved over time, they only provide information on how your disability has previously affected your capacity to work. Your file must indicate that your medical condition continues to affect your capacity to work because a determination of disability is based on what you could not do when you applied for benefits. 

Credible medical sources:

Ensuring the information is from reliable medical sources is just as crucial as providing accurate medical information. This can be any duly accredited medical professional or therapist who has treated you and works in the area of your condition. 

These sources may include psychiatrists or psychologists (for mental health disorders); general practitioners; specialists, such as neurologists or orthopedic surgeons; therapy professionals, such as physical or occupational; Speech-language pathologists, or optometrists.

Final thoughts:

Legal counsel is important and beneficial at every stage of the SSD application and approval process. Consider getting in touch with an disability attorney oceanside ca today.