If you always go to your doctor with your health problems, you might wonder why they have never told you that you should apply for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits or if they ever will. If so, you misunderstand how the program works.
While your doctor will certainly play a significant role in your application, they are not the ones who recommend people for benefits or approve their claims. Rather, it is you who must go to your doctor, not the other way around.
Your doctor is just that: a doctor. They are not an expert on how the Social Security system works. If you believe that you are unable to work because of a long-term or terminal disabling condition, you need to be the one to pursue benefits.
Your doctor’s opinion is one piece of the puzzle
As your primary treating physician, your doctor’s records will play a vital role in your SSDI claim, so it does help to have their support. If you plan to apply for benefits, explain as much to your doctor, and ask them to carefully document your symptoms at each visit. That will go a long way toward bolstering your claim when the Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at your records.
Some of the other elements that go into an application include:
- Medical records and test results (e.g., doctor notes, imaging, labs)
- Treatment history with dates and providers
- Current medication list
- Treating physician’s statement of functional limits
- Work and earnings history (e.g., job duties, W-2s/tax records)
- Daily-activity/symptom log or lay statements
- Completed SSA forms and signed record releases
Some of this information will need to come from your doctor. Other items will need to come from you, your employer or other sources.