How to Find the Right Disability Doctor
When you’re applying for Social Security disability (SSD), you’ll typically need to provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) with a lot of medical documentation. Exactly what type of medical documentation is required will depend on your medical condition or conditions. The medical records the SSA is looking for may include doctor’s notes, diagnostic test results, and other documentation.
The first question many SSD applicants have is where to get the documentation they need. Here’s what you need to know about finding the best doctor for your disability claim.
Your Own Doctor Can Be Your Best Resource
The SSA doesn’t require that medical documentation come from a doctor on their roster or one they’ve pre-approved. In fact, they often prefer information from the doctor who has been treating you. Your own doctor may already have test results and other documentation the SSA wants to see. That makes the process more efficient and saves them from having to pay a doctor to conduct exams or run tests.
Your own doctor may also be able to provide more in-depth information about the limitations you face and the progress of your medical condition, since you may have been seeing them before you became disabled, or started treatment with them early in your disability.
What if Your Doctor Won’t Participate?
Some doctors are reluctant to get involved in the SSD application process. This can happen for different reasons. In some cases, the doctor doesn’t believe disability is warranted. In others, they simply don’t want to take on the extra work of providing a statement and other information. Others have different reasons.
If concern about the complexity of the process and time commitment is an issue, you may be able to persuade your doctor to participate by doing the legwork and showing them exactly what would be required–it’s not very time-consuming. If they still don’t want to participate, you can:
- If you’re being treated by both a general practitioner and one or more specialists, ask your other doctor(s) to complete documentation
- Obtain your medical records and test results from the non-participating doctor
- Seek a new doctor who will cooperate with the SSD application process
You’ll want to consider practicalities in finding the right doctor, such as working with someone in an accessible location and making sure the doctor is in-network for your medical insurance.
Sometimes, A Specialist May Be Required
In some cases, you may need to seek out a new disability doctor to provide documentation for your SSD claim. While the SSA will generally accept information from any qualified medical professional, there are situations in which a particular type of specialist’s input will carry more weight.
One common example is a mental health condition. It’s not unusual for a person’s primary care doctor to prescribe medication for a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. If that’s the case, your primary doctor can certainly provide information to the SSA in support of your claim for Social Security disability. However, both diagnosis of mental health conditions and assessment of the limitations they cause can be nuanced.
There is no scan or blood test or other objective measurement that proves you suffer from the condition, or the extent of your disability. In that situation, a psychiatrist may be able to provide more detailed information, and the SSA may give greater deference to their opinion.
Seeking a New Disability Doctor
If you do need to look for a disability doctor in your area, either because your doctor won’t cooperate or because you need a specialist or additional testing conducted, here’s what you should consider:
- Look for a doctor who cooperates with the SSA disability process–there’s no sense starting with a new physician only to find that they won’t provide what you need. You can start by searching online using terms such as “disability doctor near me” and “doctor for disability evaluation.”
- Look for a doctor who is conveniently located, especially if your disability makes it difficult for you to travel to appointments. You may need to see the doctor more than once or undergo testing.
- A doctor with credentials specific to your type of disability may be especially useful.
Social Security Consultative Examinations
When the SSA determines that you haven’t provided enough medical information for them to make a determination on your SSA application, they may ask you to undergo a consultative exam. This may happen under circumstances such as:
- When the SSA determines that additional testing is needed for them to make a determination
- When your diagnostic tests or doctor’s notes are too old or not consistent enough to allow them to make a determination
When the SSA wants you to undergo this type of exam, they will send you a letter. It is very important that you attend this appointment, arrive on time, and undergo any testing they have requested. If you don’t cooperate or miss your appointment, the SSA will make a determination based on the information they have. Since the exam is requested when the SSA decides they don’t have enough information to deem you disabled, that decision is very unlikely to go your way.
In that situation, you can request reconsideration–the first step in the SSA appeals process–and provide additional information. But, the need to appeal can delay your claim by several months to two years or more.
Your Disability Benefits Advocate Can Help
If you’re working with an advocate to secure SSD benefits, your advocate can help you assess when your treating physician is likely the best choice and when you may want to seek out another medical provider to provide documentation for your SSD application. Your advocate may also be able to help you find a doctor who will work with you and help coordinate the collection of the information you need from your physician. That’s just one of many ways an experienced advocate can help keep your claim moving forward smoothly. To learn more about how Disability Help Group can assist with putting together the strongest application or appeal possible, call 800-800-3332 right now, or fill out our contact form here.
