Youll Win Your Claim Avoid A Hearingand Save Thousands Of Dollars In Legal Fees
When your Disability Answer Guide arrives at your door, youll receive
- All the Social Security forms you need to process your disability application. They include your
- Application for Disability Insurance Benefits
- Adult Disability Report Work History Report
- Daily Living Questionnaire Statement of Claimant or Other Person
- Request for Social Security Statement
- Request for Correction of Earnings Record
- Request for Social Security Earnings Information
- Request for Reconsideration
- Work Background
Dozens of filled-in sample documents so you see exactly how your forms should look, complete with magic words and phrases Social Security decision-makers look for when determining whether to approve your benefits.
Two Functional Capacity Evaluation Forms. Your doctor wants to help you, but often doesnt know what Social Security looks for. Youll receive the Functional Capacity Template I send to treating doctors. This template which I adapted from the official form Social Security uses with their doctors solves this problem. This powerful form makes it easy for your doctor to translate your medical problems into the specific work limitations considered by Social Security exactly what they need to approve your claim! I even point out which questions are most important and the answers we need from your doctor to help your claim.
When you follow the step-by-step recommendations in my Disability Answer Guide, youll know how to
What Your Doctor’s Letter Should Say
The RFC letter or form should state clearly what your doctor feels you’re capable of doing despite the functional limitations imposed by your disabling condition. Here’s an example of a short doctor’s statement:
Patient has been treating with me for the last three years for various musculoskeletal issues, including scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, and L5 nerve root compression, as demonstrated on an MRI taken May 2, 2022. The lumbar radiculopathy causes muscle weakness and pain along the right sciatic nerve, resulting in the following limitations:
- walk and stand no more than two hours of an eight-hour workday
- sit no more than one hour at a time
- lift and carry no more than twenty pounds occasionally and ten pounds frequently
- occasionally stoop, crouch, crawl, kneel, bend, or twist
- never climb ladders, ropes, or scaffolds, and
- occasionally climb stairs or ramps.
Patient should have the occupational flexibility to switch between sitting and standing as needed.
Social Security Isnt Much Help
Social Security has certain ways they want you to fill out the forms. Certain types of answers they want to see. Certain magic words they want to read on your application.
But youve never filled out a disability application before. You dont know if they want long answers or short answers. You dont know what theyre looking for. You dont know the words you could use that would bring you a quick approval. You may not even know what Social Securitys abbreviations like SSDI, RFC, UWA, AOD, DLI, Title XVI,Title II, HALLEX, ODAR or ALJ and stand for. And there are no instructions on the official Social Security Administration web site.
Incredibly, Social Security does not publish any directions that explains how to complete their forms. Its like taking a test with no one telling you what to study!
So where can you find this information? Youll discover all the information you need in my new Disability Answer Guide. In a moment, Ill explain how you can order a copy of this valuable handbook. But first, let me tell you about my former client, Roberta .
Also Check: Department Of Developmental Disabilities Ohio
Can A Doctor Write A Letter For Disability Or Give A Medical Opinion On My Ability To Work
Yes.
Your treating medical providers can write letters explaining your disability status and restrictions and limitations.
No federal or state law or regulation prevents your treating physicians from writing letters or otherwise giving opinions stating you are disabled and explaining why.
Some health care providers have policies stating that doctors should complete reports for use in Social Security Disability cases.
For example, the Veterans Administration encourages its doctors to complete medical opinion reports when their patients request them. Veterans Health Administration Directive 1134 establishes a policy requiring its health care providers to assist patients in completing VA and non-VA forms regarding their medical conditions and functionality.
Can My Attorney Or I Draft The Medical Opinion For My Doctor
You can talk with your medical providers and help them draft the medical opinion. This assistance includes explaining the Social Security Disability system, providing additional evidence such as reports from other health care providers, and giving an overview of what the disability examiner might find important.
But do not tell the doctor what to say.
Read Also: Va Disability Percentage By Condition
Physicians Claimants And Administrators
Clinical assessments play a very different role in medical practice than they do in eligibility determinations. The physician’s role and relationship to the patient in a purely clinical situation is to diagnose and treat the patient. By contrast, in a gatekeeping situation, the physician’s job is to evaluate a patient for an employer , for a private insurance company , for the armed services , or for a public program dispensing money on the basis of medical criteria .
The SSA uses physicians in three different ways, each with different formal relationships to the SSA bureaucracy. First, the SSA relies on information from a patient’s own physician. Most claimants have seen one or more physicians for their condition before they apply for benefits, and the medical records are a crucial part of the claimant’s file. Other than filling out forms, these physicians usually have no relationship with the SSA. These doctors are selected by the claimant, and are generally paid by the patient or the patient’s insurer.
Third are the physicians directly employed by the state DDS who serve on the disability determination teams. These physicians never see applicants in person they only review the records of examinations from the treating and consultative physicians. From these records, staff physicians, in collaboration with other members of the determination teams, make eligibility decisions.
Should I Ask All My Doctors For Letters Supporting My Disability Claim
Do not ask a treating physician to give a written report discussing disability and what you can do unless you think the doctor will support your claim.
The SSAs evidence rules and regulations require you to submit or inform the SSA about all evidence known to you regarding whether or not you are disabled. And the rules state that evidence includes not only objective medical evidence but also medical opinion evidence. This means you must submit a doctors letter if it hurts your case.
The SSA even requires you to submit a doctors negative or neutral opinion statement if you later convince the doctor to change the opinion and provide a more supportive letter.
These evidence rules are why I never recommend asking a doctor to write a disability report unless you have a good idea of what the doctor will say.
Also Check: Heart Failure Disability Living Allowance
How To Apply Apply For Ssdi Or Ssi Benefits
Online+
If you think you may be eligible for payments, you can apply for disability benefits online with the Social Security Administration.
If you think you may be eligible for payments, call the Social Security Administration at to file a claim or contact your local Social Security office.
In person+
If you think you may be eligible for payments, visit your local Social Security office. You should call first to make an appointment.
Why Does My Doctor Refuse To Fill Out Disability Forms
Your doctor may refuse to complete Social Security Disability forms or attending physician reports for several reasons. These reasons may include:
- Your doctor has had a bad experience with litigation and does not understand that the Social Security Disability system is non-adversarial.
- Your doctor does not believe you are disabled. The doctor may think you can work full duty. Or may not understand that you can receive disability benefits even if you can perform light duty.
- Your doctor does not have the time to complete the forms. In my experience this problem is more common with specialists such as orthopedic surgeons than with primary care physicians and psychiatrists. Make sure you ask the doctor to complete a disability letter several months before the scheduled hearing and then follow up often.
- Your doctor is not familiar enough with your condition and thinks it is too early to discuss your abilities. Asking a physician to write a disability letter at your first visit is usually a mistake. It is essential to develop a relationship with a medical provider before asking them to get involved in a personal injury or disability case.
- You have not paid the proper fee. Many doctors charge a fee for completing disability paperwork because it reduces the time they can treat patients. I offer to pay a fee when asking the doctor to complete disability forms.
Don’t Miss: State Of New Jersey Disability
Social Security Disability Forms For Doctors To Fill Out In 2023
The Social Security disability process can frustrate the most patient applicant. Not only does the process take months to reach a conclusion, but the Social Security Administration also denies a majority initial claims.
Nonetheless, you may be eligible to receive $3,345 each month. Fill out this Free Disability Evaluation today to find out more!
If you want to avoid the appeals process, you have to submit persuasive medical records for Social Security. The Social Security disability forms you need to have your doctor fill out are SSA-827, physical RFC, mental RFC, your test results and a letter of recommendation.
Medical records represent the most influential type of evidence when it comes to getting your Social Security disability claim approved by the SSA.
The SSA relies on the medical advice given by a team of doctors that review your claim. In addition to the results of diagnostic tests and timekeeping records, there are a few key forms that can make the difference between receiving a denied claim letter and getting approved for Social Security disability benefits.
Are There Other Ways To Qualify For Disability
If the disability examiner cannot prove you meet qualifying criteria based on your medical recordsor you do not meet a Blue Book listingthey will look at your Residual Functional Capacity . There are several ways they can assess your RFC, including relying on information from your primary care provider or asking another doctor to complete an assessment based on their knowledge of your case and your medical records.
If this is the approach the SSA takes in your case, it will send a request to your doctor to complete an RFC assessment form. This form asks your doctor to provide detailed information about how your health conditionor combination of conditionsprevents you from working and earning a living.
Other ways the Office of Disability Determination Services can assess your RFC include:
- Having an agency doctor assess your abilities based on the information you submitted with your claim and the available medical evidence or
- Asking you to attend a consultative exam with a doctor to assess your remaining abilities and determine whether you can work.
our personal injury lawyers today
Read Also: How Long Is Long-term Disability
Information On Completing The Medical Form
In addition to your application, you need a medical form completed by your doctor or nurse practitioner. It is very important that you:
- complete Sections 1 and 2 of the Medical Report / Terminal Illness Medical Attestation form before you give it to your doctor or nurse practitioner
- do not wait for your doctor or nurse practitioner to complete the medical report or medical attestation forms before sending your completed application to us
- if you are currently receiving a disability benefit from an insurance company or a provincial/territorial agency, you can ask them to send us your most current medical records instead of the medical report form
We will pay your health care professional up to $85 for completing your medical form. Should they charge more than $85, you are responsible for covering any extra costs.
Learn how we protect your privacy.
Program Rules As An Explanation Of Labor Supply
For recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income , program rules constraining work effort could account for the low rates of return to work as well as the putative attractiveness of disability benefits. A person earning more than $300 per month not only loses disability benefits but eventually also loses Medicare or Medicaid coverage. For people living at a bare subsistence level , the risk of losing both income and health insurance may be too great a gamble . Although the trial work period represents an attempt to deal with this problem, very few people fake advantage of it. It simply may not address the basic disincentives and constraints on returning to the work force we have identified.
Other rules that could explain much of the increased rate of application to the Social Security disability programs are the requirements of many state general assistance and Aid to Families with Dependent Children programs. During the period from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s, many of these programs began to require that applicants for general assistance and/or AFDC file an application with the Social Security disability programs these state programs were eager to shift costs out of the state budgets and onto the federal treasury. Hence, some portion of the increase in disability applications in the period when benefit levels were also increasing must be attributed to government-mandated behavior rather than to individual choice.
Don’t Miss: Pa Department Of Aging And Disability Services
Disability Insurance Forms And Publications
The documents on this website are PDFs. To complete forms, you may need to download and save them on the computer, then open them with the no-cost Adobe Reader.
To search and order brochures and forms from the EDD, visit Online Forms and Publications. All are available at no cost, whether you download or order for delivery by mail.
Importance Of Job Satisfaction
The majority of people who report themselves as disabled do work . Therefore, what needs explaining is why some workers, for whom disability benefits might represent a net economic gain, remain in the labor force while others do not. Many committee members felt that certain types of unpleasant or low status jobs push people out of the labor force at the first opportunity, rather than disability benefits exerting a “pull” on people. This is borne out in several studies from the United States and abroad . A study by Yelin and his associates found that work disability for people with rheumatoid arthritis was predicted by social characteristics of the workplace more than by any other factors, including medical factors and physical demands of the job. Control over the pace of work was found to be especially important. Swedish data indicate that monotonous, boring work is significantly related to job dissatisfaction and disability rates .
The econometric and rehabilitation studies do not distinguish blue-from white-collar jobs, much less more refined categories of occupational characteristics or worker satisfaction. Committee members pointed out that a common pattern among professionals is to continue working long past the date when relatively generous retirement benefits are available. The decision to leave the labor force, therefore, probably depends as much on the more intangible benefits a job provides as on the monetary rewards.
Don’t Miss: Iphone Is Disabled How To Unlock
Contact A Professional Relations Officer
DDD’s Professional Relations Officers serve as points of contact regarding Social Security disability programs in Ohio. They provide presentations to health professionals about how medical information is used to evaluate disabilities, recruit health professionals to become consultative examination providers, assist consultants in using SSAs Electronic Records Express , and much more.
DDD is actively seeking Ohio-licensed psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners in Ohio to conduct independent psychological exams of Social Security disability claimants. Opportunities exist throughout Ohio with a significant need in Northwest Ohio. Please contact ANY of the Professional Relations Officers to learn more.
Division Of Disability Benefits
The Ohio OOD Division of Disability Determination , in agreement with the Social Security Administration , determines medical eligibility for Ohioans who apply for Social Security disability benefits. Benefits include:
- Social Security Disability Insurance pays benefits to an individual and certain family members if the individual is “insured”
- Supplemental Security Income pays benefits based on financial need.
Disability, under the SSA, is based on an individuals inability to work. SSA uses the same definition for both benefit types. Unlike workers’ compensation or veterans benefits, SSA has no partial disability category. DDD is a federally regulated division of OOD. It receives 100 percent of its funding from SSA.
Assist someone filing for Social Security disability benefits.
Also Check: Social Security Disability Benefits Pay Chart 2020
Doctor Fill Out Sheets
Social security administrative office of hearings and appeals form approved omb no. 0960-0660 medical source statement of ability to do work-related activites name of individual social security number instructions: please assist us in
What Should My Doctor Put In The Disability Letter
A specific disability report that states your restrictions and explains the reasons for your limitations is helpful in your Social Security Disability claim.
A short disability letter stating that you are permanently disabled and unable to work is not. In most cases the Social Security Administration will ignore that type of letter or give it little weight. This is because the SSA decides if you meet the Social Security Acts definition of disability not your physician.
Your doctors disability letter must go further and give more detail.
Code of Federal Regulations Section 404.1513 defines the term medical opinion and is a starting point for the information your physicians disability report should include:
- When the doctor first diagnosed you with each medical condition or injury
- The clinical evidence supporting the doctors diagnosis and opinion
- What treatment you have received and what future medical care you may require
- What symptoms you have reported, including pain, numbness, tingling, or headaches
- Your ability to perform the physical demands of work activities, such as sitting, standing, walking, lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, or other physical functions
- Your ability to perform the mental demands of work activities, such as understanding, remembering, concentrating, maintaining pace or persistence, regularly attending, carrying out instructions, or responding appropriately to supervision, co-workers, customers, or other work pressures.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Disability In Illinois