Proving That Your Condition Is Disabling
The most critical part of the Social Security Disability/Supplemental Security Income (SSD/SSI) process is correctly providing medical evidence with your application. However, this is a complex task. The requirements are different for every injury and illness. In addition to proving that you have a medically determinable physical or medical condition, you must prove that it prevents you from working in any substantial gainful activity.
At the Robert A. Koenigsberg Law Offices, we help people present their medical information correctly and in a way that gets the Social Security Administration's (SSA) attention. With our experience, you can learn to make your case for benefits. For a free consultation with an attorney, please call 212-964-9292 or contact us online.
What to Include in Your Application
To qualify for SSD/SSI, you must have one or more of the conditions on the SSA's listing of impairments. This list includes physical and mental illnesses, disorders and injuries.
The SSA grants benefits based on an applicant's ability to perform his or her past relevant work or a different job. To make this determination, the SSA looks at the applicant's residual functional capacity, which it defines as "the most you can still do despite your limitations."
When determining residual functional capacity, the SSA requires medical evidence from certain medical sources, which may include: licensed physicians, licensed or certified psychologists, and in some cases, licensed optometrists, licensed podiatrists and qualified speech-language pathologists.
The SSA requires the medical report to include the following information:
- Medical history
- Clinical findings (examination results)
- Laboratory findings (blood tests, X-rays, etc.)
- Diagnoses
- Prescribed treatment(s) as well as responses and prognoses
- A statement about your residual functional capacity, based on the findings on the above factors
In addition, this statement should detail your ability to perform work-related activities, such as standing, walking, sitting, lifting, carrying, handling objects, hearing, speaking and traveling.
For those with mental impairments, the statement should describe their capacity to understand, carry out and remember instructions, as well as their ability to respond to supervision, coworkers and pressures in the work setting.
We know how to gather this information and present it to the SSA. Please call 212-964-9292 to schedule an appointment with our New York City Social Security Disability lawyers.
