One of the biggest challenges you will face when applying for Social Security disability is collecting all your pertinent medical information. Depending on your condition, you may have extensive documentation to put together, from testing and emergency treatments to medication and rehabilitation sessions.
After all is said and done, however, you should have a comprehensive representation of your illness or injury to present to the Social Security Administration with your application for disability benefits. Generally speaking, the SSA will examine your medical records and other information and make a decision accordingly. However, there are some cases when the SSA fails to properly assess or consider the medical documentation you have submitted.
In an article on our website, we discuss a case involving this very issue. In that article, which can be read in full here, we explained that the SSA repeatedly denied a woman’s application for compensation because it did not feel her condition (psoriasis) was severe enough to be considered disabling.
However, after numerous appeals, the Sixth Circuit reviewed the case and determined that the condition was, in fact, disabling and prevented her from working.
Many people find themselves in a similar situation. They have their claim denied and seek appeal after appeal before any progression can be made in the case. This could be linked to the short-sighted tendencies of the SSA.
All too often, representatives fail to take a person’s full medical history into account. They may only look at the current condition of an applicant or stick to overly rigid definitions when interpreting information. Considering the fact that many SSA representatives are overwhelmed with applications to review, they typically deny a claim rather than digging a little deeper to better understand it.
In order to try and avoid a denied claim due to an inadequate review by the SSA, applicants seeking benefits can work with an attorney to make sure they are submitting the pertinent and appropriate information in the first place. Should a question arise regarding a denial, an attorney can then help people navigate the appeals process and work to ensure an application is being properly considered.