| When you file for SSI benefits or Social Security | | | | how to gather and present the information you need, |
| Disability benefits you will be asked for certain medical | | | | based on why the case was denied and based also |
| history information with your application; this holds true | | | | on what information may have been missing in the |
| whether you are filing your initial application or whether | | | | initial application. A good legal representative will also |
| you are appealing the denial that has been issued on | | | | know what is needed to prove your disability, and can |
| your case. While it may be tempting to only supply the | | | | usually gather the information more easily than the |
| minimum medical history that is required, it can save | | | | typical claimant. Often, the record-gathering process, |
| you a lot of time and hassle if you go above and | | | | as conducted by a representative, attorney or |
| beyond the call of duty to gather your own medical | | | | non-attorney, will include attempts to obtain supporting |
| records and supply them to your disability examiner | | | | statements from doctors who have a history of |
| with everything they will need to fully examine, and | | | | providing treatment to a claimant. Such statements |
| hopefully close, your case. | | | | can be used quite effectively in hearing settings to win |
| Gathering your own medical records in the initial | | | | both past due and continuing social security disability |
| application stage can speed up the process of claiming | | | | benefits for claimants. |
| your social security disability or SSI benefits, and this | | | | It can be tempting not to hire a legal representative |
| simple act can also keep you from having to endure | | | | and to only provide the minimum information asked of |
| the act of submitting an appeal, particularly so if your | | | | you, yet statistics show that those who do hire a |
| case was turned down, in part, due to a lack of | | | | representative are awarded benefits 50 percent more |
| medical information. Since disability examiners' are | | | | often than those without legal representation. While |
| more likely to work on a case that will take less time, | | | | there are no statistics that show how often those who |
| providing your medical records is extremely likely to | | | | make the effort to provide their medical records are |
| bump your case to the top of their list. Disability | | | | awarded social security disability benefits as opposed |
| examiners' are evaluated by the number of cases that | | | | to those who do not supply their records upfront, it is |
| they complete during a certain work period and are far | | | | safe to say that this one small, thoughtful step can |
| more likely to work on cases that are organized, take | | | | save you time, money and unneeded frustration. At |
| less time, and are easily evaluated. | | | | the very least, even for claimants whose cases will |
| If you only provided a brief medical history with your | | | | ultimately be denied at the application level, getting |
| initial application and you have been denied, it may be | | | | records submitted rapidly to the social security |
| advantageous to hire a claimant's rep (non-attorney) or | | | | administration will allow a case to be processed faster |
| a disability lawyer to handle this task for the appeal | | | | and appealed faster as well. |
| process. A qualified representative will know exactly | | | | |