Will my medical treatment history impact my disability determination?
Deciding whether or not someone qualifies for Social Security Disability Benefits can be a challenging process. There are lots of different pieces of paperwork that need to be filled out and these could make or break someone’s disability claim. Because of this, it is important to understand how all of the different factors involved will impact this decision.
Perhaps the most important part of this claim is the medical record, specifically the history of medical treatment. This is one of the few objective pieces of evidence that the Social Security Administration has to use and they will analyze the medical record to determine if a medical condition would preclude an individual from engaging in work. Some of the factors that the Social Security Administration is going to consider include:
- Whether or not someone has tried medications to alleviate their symptoms
- How often someone has been hospitalized for their condition
- The necessity of any surgical procedures to aid their symptoms
- The statements from doctors and other medical professionals left in the medical record
The reason why the Social Security Administration takes the medical record so seriously is that they will compare the medical evidence to the statement made by the individual themselves. If the medical record shows that the individual has a long track record of putting forth a consistent effort to find a way to alleviate their symptoms, then the Social Security Administration will be more likely to believe the individual. Some of the signs that they might look for include:
- Multiple specialty physician visits
- Attempts at multiple different medications and therapies
- Surgical procedures performed in an effort to alleviate symptoms
- Visits to alternative medical providers
After all of this, if the condition still remains disabling, the Social Security Administration will be more likely to grant the claim.
For more information about this topic, read these articles. Or contact our attorneys for a consultation.
Source
https://www.ssa.gov/disability/
