When filing a claim for Social Security disability benefits, those involving mental health problems are often denied. This usually happens for one of a handful of good reasons. First, it is common for mental health specialists to make notes about office visits that are not very detailed. Social Security will want to know as much about the case as possible from a professional viewpoint, so request that your doctor send them a more detailed account of your visits and condition.
Another common thing that can look bad for a disability applicant is if there is no medical record whatsoever for the treatment of the alleged condition. This most often happens with cases of depression, when a family doctor prescribes anti-depressant medication and the patient never sees a psychiatrist. This then provides no real back-up for the claim of severe depression.
Other times, a patient will have been prescribed certain medications and records may show that those medications were never taken. Social Security will see this as a very negative action on the part of the patient, because without the proper treatment they are unable to determine how limited the patient’s abilities are. Sometimes, the patient simply cannot afford the cost of the medicine, in which case be sure to inform Social Security about it. They will either take this into account as a reasonable excuse for not taking the medicine or provide it for free.
Then, there are cases where claims are denied because of a lack of a proper duration period of symptoms. A disability claims examiner or judge may determine that the applicant has not been disabled for the required twelve months or isn’t expected to be. Any claim made about a condition that is getting better or is expected to get better does not have a good chance at being approved for disability benefits.
If you or a loved one has a long-term disability and would like to apply for Social Security, you should hire an experienced disability attorney like Nick Ortiz to assist you. If you have any other questions or concerns, call the office of Nick Ortiz at 850-898-9904.