ADVOCATE SPOTLIGHT: Putting Your Medical Providers To Work For You
Written by: Jennifer HC Walker, DHG Senior Disability Advocate
Welcome to the Advocate Spotlight. My name is Jennifer HC Walker. I am a licensed attorney in both Florida and New Jersey and I have been helping clients get their Social Security disability benefits since 2001. Over the last 23 years, I have appeared in front of Judges all over the country at thousands of hearings and my expertise includes developing and presenting disability claims to Social Security at every level of the process.
I have found that the opinion of a treating doctor (or nurse practitioner) helps create a good foundation for social security to find you disabled.
You may think your doctor “knows” that you are not able to work or that you have certain limitations, but I always recommend that you speak to them directly about this. If they are supportive that you cannot work because of your conditions and are willing to back up their treatment notes with that opinion, in many cases, that will boost the strength of your disability claim.
Disability Help Group has created forms for your doctors to complete which will ask them to explain how your medical conditions affect your ability to do work-related activities such as sitting, standing, walking and lifting. This form is called the “Medical Source Statement” or “Residual Functional Capacity Assessment”; we also sometimes refer to it as an “RFC”. There are separate forms to address physical and mental conditions. The mental form is called the “Mental Capacity Assessment” or “MCA”.
In deciding your case, Social Security reviews the notes from your doctor visits and hospitalizations and the medical source statement form can pull those together, not just confirming that you have diagnoses or that you are “disabled” but explaining how your medical conditions affect your abilities to perform every day activities as they exist in a work setting.
These forms allow your treating professional to indicate your need for help, for example, that it is medically necessary for you to use a cane or other assistive device, for you to need extended breaks while performing tasks, that you have difficulty using your arms or your hands or problems concentrating.
The form for mental conditions “MCA” covers different topics such as your ability to deal with people, manage your time and follow instructions.
Important points to remember:
- Social Security’s rules dictate that the opinion of your treating source must be found persuasive if it is consistent with the records, that is why it is so important to speak to your providers about any conditions you feel affect your ability to work. If your provider’s notes fail to support the doctor’s conclusions; for example if your doctors notes all show you are doing OK or are feeling fine but the form shows severe limitations, it lessens the effectiveness of the form. Social Security’s rules demand that the form be submitted, even if it hurts your case, so you want to be sure to speak to your doctor about their support before deciding to ask them to complete it.
- Speak with your Advocate, there may be special rules in place due to your age and past work which the doctor should keep in mind when completing the form.
- You may have several different conditions contributing to your inability to work; the forms give your provider a chance to put together your limitations based on all these conditions combined. Your provider may want to see you in person to complete the form but remember the form needs to reflect the doctor’s opinion of your conditions and not just a recounting of what you have told them.
- These forms are not static, as the regulations and focus of Social Security change over the years; these forms may change to better fit those regulations.
Our goal is to help you get the disability benefits which will result in peace of mind so you can concentrate on treatment and affording life’s expenses. Enrolling the help of your treating health professionals can increase your chances of success. Put them to work for you!
Below you’ll find the RFC and MCA. If you would like them mailed to you please call us at 800-800-3332 to request them.
