A successful disability case is built on medical evidence; many claimants feel their medical history will speak for itself. The most significant aspect of your SSD case is your medical records. The best thing you can do to assist yourself in receiving SSD and SSI benefits is to build that medical proof. An experienced disability attorney can help you build your proof, so click here to learn more. 

What are medical records? 

You do not want your case to be lost. So, get your medical documents. But how can you be sure of what your doctor writes in their progress notes? The short answer is that you can not. However, virtually all doctors keep accurate progress notes. Those notes are about your doctor’s appointment and will contain what you say. So, if you complain of acute pain or significant mental problems, the doctor will write about it. 

However, if you forget to disclose your discomfort or severe mental symptoms, such as sobbing fits or anxious panic attacks. If your doctor does not write your symptoms, there will be no evidence in your medical records that you cannot work. It’s much more serious if you tell your doctor you’re fine when you are not. Many individuals consult the doctor and do not tell them how they feel. Do not make that mistake.

Another issue arises when people go to the doctor and focus just on one element of their health. For example, people may tell the doctor they have back discomfort but fail to mention knee or ankle problems. This is particularly true if you suffer from a problem such as back discomfort. If you go to the doctor, you will concentrate solely on this discomfort. Nonetheless, it is a mistake. Consult your doctor about all of your concerns.

What role does medical evidence play in the Social Security Administration? 

Social Security uses a five-step sequential evaluation method to determine disability. Steps 2 and 3 include the use of medical evidence.

You demonstrated in Step 1 that you are not engaged in substantial gainful activities. Your earnings from work do not exceed the SSA’s set limit. 

In Step 2, a claims examiner will look for a medically determinable impairment that is severe enough to hamper work-related duties and lasts at least 12 months or results in your death. The SSA takes into account both physical and mental disabilities.

Step 3 involves a deeper look at the severity of your problem. An adjudicator examines your medically determinable disability to see if it matches or surpasses a designation in the designation of Impairments, popularly known as the “Blue Book.” The SSA maintains the Blue Book, which provides medical criteria that are regarded sufficiently severe that an individual with a disease that meets or exceeds the threshold is determined to be handicapped.