Thursday, April 24, 2008

Update on a Social Security Disability Application

An article on the site, Gather, illustrates quite clearly that when applying for disability with the social security administration, screwups do occur.

This particular individual went to a medical examination scheduled by a disability examiner, and conducted by an independent physician. Yet despite having gone to her appointment, she received a notice stating that she had not.

For those who aren't aware, these types of medical exams are scheduled when the disability examiner reviews the claimant's medical records and A) concludes that not enough recent medical record documentation exists to make a decision or B) there is no documentation at all for a particular condition to evaluate the case (which happens very often when claimants write "depression" on an application but have never been treated for depression).

Fortunately, this individual immmediately contacted social security to try to set things straight. Which was an excellent move on her part because disability applications can actually be denied on the basis of "failure to cooperate". And failure to cooperate can include failing to go to a scheduled medical exam.

Will social security deny a case simply because one appointment has been missed? Probably not. Most disability examiners who are notified that a claimant has missed an exam will attempt to reschedule the appointment at least once. However, repeat offenses can easily result in a denied case, therefore it is simply not a good idea to miss even one appointment.