Ask a Social Security Disability Benefits Attorney:
Working With Your Doctor
When applying to the Social Security Administration to receive social security disability (SSD) benefits, you can drastically strengthen your claim with a statement from your treating physician to help prove the severity of your disability. It is important to note that the SSA approves a mere 30 percent of initial SSD claims a year, and in the majority of the cases, the claimant did not have the help from a treating physician as well as a highly experienced Memphis social security disability attorney.
By calling attorney John E. Dunlap, PC, about your case, you can experience the legal guidance and representation of one of the most aggressive and competent SSD lawyers in the Memphis area. Getting your doctor to help you with your SSD case, however, may be a little more difficult.
What You Need From Your Doctor
A good doctor can make or break a SSD case. For this reason, it is important to see your doctor, treating physician, or even psychologist regularly. Moreover, to emphasize the validity of your claim, you need to follow the doctor’s treatment recommendations and make sure that the doctor provides the proper information to Social Security. If your doctor isn’t sure what information he/she needs to provide to the SSA, you and your SSD lawyer can help.
The first and foremost document that you need from your doctor is a written statement regarding the extent and circumstances of your disability. Make sure that your doctor includes substantial details and supports that information with clear and convincing medical evidence. For example, important pieces of evidence can include test results and x-rays. In the statement, the doctor should include:
- Your diagnosis
- How this diagnosis places certain physical and/or emotional restrictions against you
- The prognosis of your condition and how your condition prevents you from participating in gainful work
Keep in mind that your doctor is not obligated to help. Moreover, if you approach your doctor with a verbal list of limitations, your doctor may write everything down and, consequently, submit the most essential pieces of information to the SSA.
For a Free Consultation, Contact Memphis Attorney John E. Dunlap
In general, the SSA accepts around 30 percent of initial SSD applications. To strengthen your initial application by getting your doctor to submit the necessary materials, it can help to have a highly experienced social security lawyer on your side. After working with hundreds of individuals throughout the greater Memphis area, attorney John E. Dunlap fully understands what’s needed in your initial application as well as your appeal and disability hearing.
Make sure that your doctors provide the information you need by contacting Memphis attorney John E. Dunlap at (901) 320-1603 for a free consultation.