Fresno Treating Doctor for Benefits Lawyers
In order to receive Social Security disability (SSD) benefits, it is important that your medical records are accurate, and that they are in line with what you are saying on your SSD application. At every step of the process, your medical treatment records are the most important factor in the decision of whether your claim will be approved or denied. This includes what your doctor says and how he states it in those records.
At Milam Law, we work closely with the physicians of our clients to help them clearly explain disabling conditions. We often use our clients to make personal pleas to their doctors to facilitate such exchanges. Our lawyers only practice in Social Security claims and have extensive experience handling these issues, so we have a good understanding of why it is imperative that the evidence in your medical records supports any claim of disability that you make in an application.
Your doctors' records and opinions are critical to your case. There are many ways to increase the value of your case to the Social Security Administration (SSA) by making sure that the right exams are done to establish the medical problems you have, and by making sure that the findings of those exams are properly charted. At Milam Law, we try to determine what you need to do to accomplish the above, and give you instructions accordingly.
Over many years of dealing with opinions from clients' doctors, there is a standard procedure we use which we think has the best chance of getting the evidence you need. We will immediately seek to work with you to do this. If it does not succeed initially, we will try again. At Milam Law, we will do anything to assist the doctor in working through this process. The doctors often have a myriad of reasons these days for not giving their patients proper documentation. It is the worst now that it has been for more than 25 years, probably due to economic reasons, especially the poor budgets for county and state medical staffing. We have spoken with county medical and governmental agencies, at their request, to assist doctors in preparing and helping their patients in doing such forms, and giving them the reasons it is needed. We will continue to make time to help in this way for our clients and applicants in general.
We hear many excuses for doctors not doing forms or stating opinions to assist their patients, i.e., that they do not have time or the experience to do the form, may get called to court if they do a form, may get in trouble for doing the form or are not allowed to do a form. None of those reasons are valid. Doctors should help their patients. And the doctor's opinion is just that: an opinion. Anyone could give one. It is just that a treating doctor's opinion is more important under Social Security law than any other opinion, if supported by the evidence. So, Milam Law will assist in helping you know how to approach your doctors and get the evidence you need to ultimately win your case.
Information on this website is provided as a service of Milam Law. Contact us regarding Social Security disability claims and denials.
Modesto SSD Physical Exam Attorneys
You are much more likely to be successful in a claim for disability benefits if the medical record provides support for your claim, and if it is written clearly enough for an administrative law judge to understand. When you visit your doctor, especially if you are choosing a new doctor, tell him or her that you are seeking disability benefits and talk honestly about your situation. Make sure the doctor is willing to help you, at some point, in giving his or her honest opinion, when they have done the proper tests and exams to give one.
In most cases, we will prepare questionnaires for doctors or will consult with a doctor over the phone, on occasion, to get help with narratives or other forms of opinion as evidence. Our interest is making sure that your circumstances are fully detailed by any claim.
In addition to treating doctors, you will likely see Social Security consulting doctor(s). These appointments are critical to your case as well. These doctors traditionally provide only very short periods of examination. At Milam Law, we have an extensive handout that we give our clients, which has just been put into complete written form, which explains these exams and how you are to deal with them. Part of that instruction includes such logical steps as NOT resting several hours before you go to see the doctor (as that is not the norm for a person at work), taking someone with you to observe the exam, writing down all that happened during the exam immediately after the exam and getting that to us to review. If you have already done these exam(s), we will get you to draft the same document as soon as possible, or have you fill out a form to do the same thing, so we can devalue that report — if the exam and opinion was poorly done. We will explain all of this to you even more when we become your attorneys. We cannot even begin to tell you the number of times our clients have given us very bad reports about these doctors, and their offices and procedures. Some of these doctors are very well intended and do good jobs, but some do not appear to fairly and fully examine and report your condition to the SSA.
Talk With Milam Law Today
For a free, initial consultation with one of our experienced lawyers, contact us at one of our offices in Fresno, Sacramento or Modesto. Call us toll free at 877-840-3508 to make an appointment.
