Why You Need Your Medical Records for Social Security Disability

As you may or may not be aware, there are a multitude of different reasons why an individual would need copies of their medical records. Some of the most common reasons why people need their medical records include: keeping their personal physicians up to date with their medical history, being able to track, monitor, and understand their own health care, being prepared for any health emergencies, and being able to easily go see a new doctor or specialist. While these factors may be the main reasons why people keep copies of their medical records, there are other critical situations where you need copies of your records and many people simply aren’t aware of these types of situations. One of these lesser known situations where it is very important to have access to your records is when you are applying for Social Security disability.

Applying For Social Security Disability

In order to prove that you are in need of and qualify for Social Security disability, you will need to meet a strict set of criteria that has been developed by the federal government. To prove that you meet these criteria and win your disability case, you and your attorney (if you are using one) will need to gather and provide the proper evidence. Much of this evidence will come from copies of your medical records. In order to determine your disability status, Social Security will need to see accurate, up to date copies of your medical records. Social Security will examine these records closely to determine if indeed you meet their disability criteria.

Avoid Decisions That Are Made With Insufficient Evidence

When you first apply for Social Security disability, a disability examiner from Disability Determination Services (DDS), the organization that handles the initial disability determination phase, will request copies of your medical records on your behalf. However, with presenting the strongest case possible in mind, it is not wise to leave this task up to the disability examiner. Whenever any individual requests copies of their medical records, it can be very difficult to get everything that you are looking for. Medical facilities typically receive hundreds if not thousands of requests for records every month and because of this many facilities are very slow to respond and/or release records.

Disability examiners have an even harder time obtaining records because they are requesting them on someone else’s behalf. Many times, because they are unable obtain all of the records they want, disability examiners will make their disability determinations without even seeing all of the medical evidence. Once they decide that they have received “sufficient enough” evidence these examiners have the right to make their determinations. If you are not providing the examiner with all of your medical records from the beginning of the process, then you are seriously hurting your chances of winning the disability determination. You can avoid running into this problem and present the strongest case possible by simply providing copies of your medical records when you submit the application for Social Security disability.

Avoid Unnecessary Delays in the Determination Process

The disability determination process can go on for an extensive period of time and most of the time, the process is mainly delayed or slowed because an examiner is waiting to receive copies of medical records. As we explained above, the record release process is a complicated, multi-step ordeal which means receiving records takes time. In addition to being slowed by the wait for records, disability examiners are usually graded on how fast they handle cases so they tend to work on cases where the records have already been obtained first. So, if you submit copies of your medical records with your application, not only will all of your evidence be examined, but you will also be able to avoid many of the delays that can drag out your case. It really is a no brainer to have copies of your medical records and submit them with your application if you want to be successful in the disability determination process.

How Can I Obtain My Records?

In order to give yourself the best chance of winning your Social Security disability case, you need to provide complete copies of your medical records. As we explained, obtaining copies of your records can be very challenging and sometimes you will be unsuccessful in doing so. The best way to ensure that you receive complete, accurate copies of your medical records in a timely fashion is to utilize the skills of the professionals at Order Medical Records. Our experts have been retrieving medical records for over twenty years and as a result, we are very adept at the process. Call or contact us today to order copies of your critically important medical records.