The vast majority of Social Security Disability (SSD) claims are denied during their initial applications and on the first round of appeals, which forces many genuinely disabled people to endure long months of waiting before they can actually plead their case in person to an administrative law judge. If you want to avoid that possibility, there are some steps you can take that will improve the odds your claim will get approved more easily.
1. Make sure your medical provider’s information is complete and correct
Missing medical records is one of the top reasons that claims get denied — and your medical providers can’t return Social Security’s queries unless they’re actually contacted. Make sure that you go into the application process prepared with the names, addresses and phone numbers of all your important physicians or other medical providers.
2. Give your physician’s office a little warning and follow up
Social Security typically won’t spend the resources tracking down medical records if a doctor’s office doesn’t respond to their requests for information. Let the clerical staff know that a request is coming and find out how you can follow up to make sure that the records are sent out properly.
3. Ask your physician to complete the residual functional capacity form
Hopefully, you’ve had the opportunity to talk with your primary care physician about your limitations and your decision to file for disability. Assuming that you have your doctor’s support (and you should), you can ask them to fill out the residual functional capacity form that is used by Social Security to determine what types of daily activities you can — and cannot — do. This can help create a clear picture of your disability for the claims examiner.
4. Hire an experienced advocate to assist with your claim
Finally, it’s always wise to get experienced assistance with your disability claim. Our office has been advocating for people with disabilities for over 20 years and we know what Social Security needs to have to approve a claim. Please contact our office for more information.