{"id":3763,"date":"2020-07-28T16:38:07","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T16:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nickortizlaw.com\/?page_id=3763"},"modified":"2024-03-01T10:13:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T15:13:24","slug":"can-a-doctors-letter-win-a-disability-case-or-get-you-approved-for-benefits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nickortizlaw.com\/ltd-faq\/can-a-doctors-letter-win-a-disability-case-or-get-you-approved-for-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Doctor\u2019s Letter Win a Long-Term Disability Case?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A letter from your doctor or physician stating you are disabled and unable to work will not guarantee that your long-term disability (LTD)<\/a> claim will be approved. However, depending on the form and substance of the letter, such a letter can significantly improve your chances of being approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most LTD cases, generic letters from physicians will have little impact on the insurance company\u2019s disability decision. This is because doctors submit letters so short and lacking in detail in most cases that the letter\u2019s value to a disability examiner is practically non-existent. For example, if all the doctor does is summarize your medical diagnoses and conclude that you are disabled and unable to work. That letter will not assist the claims handler in understanding why you are unable to work. Unfortunately, this type of letter is the most common from disinterested physicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what makes a good letter? We know that a detailed statement from a doctor knowledgeable about a claimant\u2019s medical problems can make all the difference as to whether or not a disability claimant is approved for disability benefits. A good statement goes beyond reciting the patient\u2019s medical diagnoses; It gives an opinion on the patient\u2019s functional limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This type of statement is called a \u201cmedical source statement\u201d or \u201cresidual functional capacity\u201d evaluation. These medical source statements help the evaluation process because most insurance company claims adjusters are not medical professionals. They rely on the medical professionals to identify the claimant\u2019s level of impairment; therefore, adjusters give weight to the detailed opinions of medical professionals, particularly those directly involved in the claimant\u2019s medical treatment. The claims examiner should accept a treating doctor\u2019s medical source statement as true and accurate unless they have good reason to reject it (such as where the doctor has no credibility or is not a specialist familiar with the claimant\u2019s particular illness or injury).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help a long-term disability case, the doctor\u2019s medical source statement should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n