Our Top 10 Tips For Winning Your Social Security Disability If Your First Application Has Been Denied
Don't Give Up! Don't Give Up! Don't Give Up!
Get support from your doctor. Work with the doctor and his/her staff to get important paperwork completed in time for your hearing.
Don't stop going for medical care. Absence of regular medical attention that backs up your complaints of pain and disability can be a reason for denial by the Administrative Law Judge.
Don't think about your case as just one problem or "impairment". Think of yourself as a whole person - age, education level, all the work you've done, all the skills you have, whether those skills can be used in different types of jobs, and your physical and emotional condition.
Remember - each case is different and will be judged on its own merits based on the evidence presented. Try not to compare your case with others. It's okay to talk with friends about your case, but remember than you and your case are special and different from any other.
Be vocal in expressing your disabilities to all your doctors and be sure the doctor writes it down in your medical records. Keep a list of all the questions you want to talk to your doctor about when you go. Take the list with you. Tell the nurse what you want to talk about and also tell the doctor. Keep current on all changes in medication or in your condition. Byron A. Lassiter & Associates, P.C. has prepared a Medical Treatment Diary form. You can view/download a copy from the Client Services section of this website.
Make sure your medical evidence is current. Talk with your attorney about your medical treatment. All of the doctors that you have seen since you became disabled have records and those records need to be in your Exhibits file. Also, even hospitalizations since you became disabled need to be documented and made a part of your file. At the hearing, you will probably be asked about hospitalizations and medical treatment.
Find out what you've got to prove - and prove it. That means you must know the issue or issues in your case. Is it an earnings problem, a date last insured problem, or something else? When do you have to prove that you were disabled? Plan the ways you can explain the truth to the judge.
Cooperate with any doctors the Social Security Administration sends you to see. Be on time, be nice and be honest. If you fake pain or are inconsistent in reporting pain and other symptoms, the doctor will be sure to tell the Social Security examiners about it.
BE HONEST - with your doctors, with the judge and with yourself. Exaggerating your limitations can backfire with the judge. Different standards apply to various groups of people, depending on age, education and work you've done in the past.