When a person suffers an injury and is unable to work, they may be entitled to Social Security disability (SSD) benefits. These benefits are intended to help the injured person pay medical expenses, as well as their daily bills. Because an injured person might have to rely on these SSD benefits as their only or primary source of income, it is important to understand the application process and how to avoid ending up with a denied claim.
Anyone in the Houston area who is applying for SSD benefits should know that in some cases, the Disability Determination Services in Texas may need more medical information about the particular injury in question. When this is the case, the state agency could require the applicant to get a special medical examination.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) covers the cost of the special medical examination, including certain travel expenses associated with getting to and from the examination. In addition, the SSA can arrange for the doctor who performs the exam to send any test results from it to the applicant’s regular doctor.
Probably the most important thing that an applicant should understand about the special examination is that if they fail to go through with the exam, it could result in a denied claim. Accordingly, an SSD applicant should be certain to show up for the exam, and if for any reason the person can’t make the appointment, they need to let the Texas state agency know as soon as possible.
SSD benefits for injured workers are an important program that can be vital for people who have lost wages due to their injury. However, people who need these benefits must remember to follow all steps of the application process, which could include a special medical examination. If a person has any questions at any stage of their SSD application, a SSD attorney may be able to help.
Source: SSA.gov, “A Special Examination Is Needed For Your Disability Claim,”Accessed on Oct. 22, 2015