DOCTORS WHO WON'T HELP IN YOUR DISABILITY CLAIM


Doctors can be mean when it comes to helping their patients prove that they are disabled. Usually, this is a time saving decision or the doctor misunderstands his role in the disability decision-making process.

Most doctors will provide medical records, a bare minimum necessity.  However, medical records alone are not enough to prove disability because they don't address any functional limitation.

My firm will usually ask the client's doctor to provide a professional opinion about functional limitations, using such forms as HA-1151-bk.  If the doctor will complete this form it is often an enormous help in proving the disability claim.

We never ask a doctor to state that the patient is disabled.  That decision is reserved to the Commissioner of Social Security.  We do ask the doctor for certain medical opinions based on treatment history, examinations, imaging studies, laboratory reports, prognosis, etc.  

What can you do if your doctor will not complete any paperwork for you?  You may try:
  1. Speaking to the doctor during a scheduled appointment.  His staff are specially trained in protecting the doctor's time, so an appointment may be the only way.
  2. Explain that you do not want the doctor to make any decision about whether or not you are disabled.  You only want his medical opinion about certain functional capabilities.
  3. Offer to pay a reasonable fee to have the forms completed, since it will take a few extra minutes of the doctor's time.

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