Iowa disability lawyer explains why complete medical records are essential for obtaining disability benefits
Your medical records are some of the most important evidence the Social Security Administration will review. Social Security will not approve your application for Iowa disability benefits just because you say you are too disabled to work, no matter how severe your disability. You must have medical proof. Specifically, medical records are necessary to:
- Prove you have a “medically determinable impairment.”
- Prove your impairment meets or equals a listing.
- Corroborate your symptoms and functional limitations.
- Prove your treatment history.
Proving you have a medically determinable impairment
According to Social Security rules, your disability must be caused by a medically determinable physical or mental impairment. A medically determinable impairment is a physical or mental abnormality that is documented with medically accepted diagnostic techniques. In other words, you must have medical records that prove that something is physically or mentally wrong with you in order to be eligible for Iowa disability benefits. You cannot get benefits based solely on your claims that you have pain or other problems that prevent you from working.
Proving your impairment meets or equals a Listing
Medical records are necessary to prove that your impairment meets or equals a Listing. Social Security has developed a list of many physical and mental conditions called the Listing of Impairments. Each listed impairment is accompanied by a set of criteria that describe how severe the impairment must be to qualify for Iowa disability benefits. If you have a listed impairment and your medical records show that your conditions meets the criteria, Social Security will presume that you cannot work and you will be awarded benefits. Even if your condition is not listed or does not meet the criteria, you may still be disabled if your medical records show that your condition is as serious as a listed condition.
Corroborating your symptoms
If your condition does not equal or meet a Listing, you may be disabled because you cannot work due to your symptoms (pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, memory problems, etc.). Symptoms are subjective and cannot be measured. But your doctor may be able to observe their effects and note these observations in your medical records. For example, pain can lead to muscle spasms, a reduced range of motion in your joints, and other movement restrictions. These findings noted by your doctor in your medical records make your allegations that you suffer from pain more convincing.
Social Security will consider your symptoms only if your medical records show that you have a medically determinable impairment that could cause those symptoms. For example, if you say you cannot work because of fatigue, you records must show that you have an impairment that could cause fatigue. Your claims that you suffer from symptoms without supporting medical evidence are not enough to prove you are disabled.
Establishing your treatment history
Your medical records will show whether you tried to get treatment for your physical or mental problems and whether you followed through with the treatment. Social Security decision makers will be more inclined to believe that you suffer from disabling symptoms if your medical records reveal that you complained to a doctor about them and that you followed recommended treatment. If you failed to seek treatment or did not follow your doctor’s recommendations, Social Security decision makers may believe that your symptoms could not have bothered you very much.
How you can improve the quality of your medical records
Now that you know why complete medical records are important to your claim for Iowa disability benefits, here are three things you can do to make sure you have complete medical records that fully document your impairments:
- See a doctor.
- Complain about all your symptoms.
- Go to every doctor’s appointment and follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations.
See a doctor
Obviously, if you do not see a doctor, you will not have any medical records. If you cannot afford medical care, see if there is a free or low-cost clinic in your area. You can also try to get medical care at the emergency room of a public hospital. Your local Department of Social Services will be able to tell you if you are eligible for Medicaid. Social Security may send you to a doctor for an examination at its expense if you have no medical records or your records are inadequate. But these exams can be brief so medical records from your own treating doctor are preferable.
Complain about all your symptoms
It is important for you to tell your doctor about every physical or mental problem you have. Even symptoms that seem minor to you are important for your doctor to document. Sometimes they become worse over time or sometimes their effects when considered together with all your other impairments will result in a finding that you are disabled.
Social Security decision makers will compare what you told your doctors to what you have told them. They will be skeptical of new complaints that you never mentioned to your doctors. On the other hand, they will be more inclined to believe you if your medical records show that you complained to your doctor about every health problem that you say contributes to your inability to work.
Go to every doctor’s appointment and follow all treatment recommendations
If you miss doctor’s appointments and fail to follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations, Social Security decision makers may conclude that your condition is not as severe as you claim it is. After all, if your symptoms were really troubling, you would do everything possible to alleviate them. You can even be denied Social Security disability benefits if, without good reason, you refuse to follow treatment that is expected to restore your ability to work.
How an experienced Iowa disability lawyer can help
An Iowa disability lawyer can make sure Social Security has all of your medical records and other documentation necessary to support your claim. Gathering evidence is one important service a disability lawyer can provide. Although Social Security disability examiners will attempt to obtain your medical records, disability examiners are working on many cases under considerable time pressure. They do not always have the time to develop the evidence as fully as an Iowa disability lawyer can.
If you are not already represented by an Iowa disability lawyer and want our evaluation, give us a brief description of your claim using the form to the right. Or you may contact us at:
Law Offices of Thad J. Murphy
Dubuque Iowa Social Security disability lawyers
Phone: 888-256-7413 (toll free)
Fax: 563-583-9103
1635 Associates Drive, Suite 102
(next door to the Dubuque Social Security office)
Dubuque, Iowa 52002
Or by appointment at:
617 Brady Street
Davenport, Iowa 52803
