Have you ever wondered what role your doctor plays in determining if you can receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits?
Recently, in a question and answer piece with the Fayetteville Observer, a reader asked this question to editors, who turned it over to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
“We don’t really ask the doctor if the person is disabled or not,” Frank Viera, a deputy regional communications director for the SSA said, according to the Observer. “We ask the doctor for a diagnosis and medical records. We make the determination about whether they are disabled for our purposes.”
Viera told the paper that during the application process, a person must provide contact information for his or her doctor—after this, medical records are released electronically, although an individual may also submit them to the SSA on his or her own time.
Viera said that if more information were needed following the release of records, the SSA would contact the doctor. Keep in mind, to qualify for SSDI, a person must have work credits and show that his or her condition is expected to last for at least a year, not allowing him or her to perform work.
Should I Contact an Attorney About My Disability Case?
For more information about SSDI benefits, you can visit our Social Security FAQ page.
The Social Security process can be incredibly difficult to figure out on your own—make sure that you obtain representation if you are struggling with an application or appeal. Our firm can help take stress away when it comes to paperwork, record keeping and information transfers.
