PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

As a Social Security disability advocate in Huntsville, I try to help individuals get their SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) benefits approved as quickly as possible.  Sometimes, an individual does not want to hire me but simply wants some advice on how to "do it myself."  My advice is given here for the benefit of other "do-it-yourselfers" who want to take on the US Social Security Administration alone.

  • List all doctors, psychologists, clinics, hospitals or ERs you have visited for two years prior to the date you claim to have become disabled.  Even if you went to the ER with an ear ache and don't feel that it "amounted to anything," list it anyway.
  • Include mental as well as physical conditions for which you have been treated.  Social Security must consider all your conditions and their combined effects.
  • Take time to fill out all the forms completely and correctly.  It may take you 6 or 8 hours to complete all the application forms.  Take your time.  In fact, take 3 or 4 days if you need to.  Don't rush.  Be thorough.  
  • Remember to discuss your limitations or restrictions in daily functioning.  Social Security disability is not so much about which diseases you have.  It's more about how the diseases restrict your normal functioning.  By functional limitations, I mean things like:  walking, standing, sitting, bending, lifting, concentrating, understanding, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, stooping, etc.
  • Put limitations in concrete, measurable terms.  For example, don't say, "I can't stand for very long."  Say, "I can only stand for about 10 minutes at one time."  Don't say, "I can't lift anything very heavy."  Better to say, "I can lift less than 10 pounds."
  • If possible, get your primary doctor to complete a "Functional Capacity Report" (FCR) for you.  Social Security can provide the form.  This is  merely a statement about your functional limitations (physical or mental - or both, but they are on separate forms).
  • Research what medical evidence Social Security will and will not accept.  Also, find out which evidence is given more weight.  A few examples:
  1. Social Security considers the following professionals to be "medically acceptable sources" of evidence:  Doctor of Medicine (MD), a Doctor of Osteopath (DO), or a licensed clinical psychologist (Ph.D. or Psy.D).  They will also consider evidence from a licensed Doctor of Optometry for diseases of the eye or vision problems; or from a Podiatrist for problems related to the feet.
  2. Social Security usually does not consider the following to be "medically acceptable sources" for evidence:  therapists, counselors, chiropractors or nurse practitioners, etc.  There can be exceptions.  For instance, in the case of a child's disability claim, Social Security may consider testing performed by the school's licensed counselor, or may even consider statements from a teacher.
  3. Specialists are given more weight than non-specialists, all other things being equal. Thus an orthopedic surgeon's opinion will be given more weight concerning a spine disorder than, say, the opinion of a primary care doctor.
  4. Treating doctors are given more weight than non-treating doctors, usually.
  5. Examining doctors are usually given more weight than non-examining doctors.
  6. Medical Consultants (doctors who give examinations paid for by Social Security) are rarely helpful to a claimant.  For reasons I will not try to explain, their examinations are more often used to justify a denial of a claim, not for approval of the claim.
Be aware that Social Security will factor into its decision such factors as your age, education and type of work you have done during the past 15 years. My final piece of advice should be common sense.  Don't lie or exaggerate about anything on your application.  It can only hurt your chances.

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