This Newzy will review our offices view on disability. Hopefully some of the information will make you understand the process better. A recent study showed 18% of Americans in 2002 said they had a disability and 12 percent labeled themselves severe.  One interesting fact is that more than half of those 21 to 64 years of age still held a job being disabled. People with a severe status reported a 42% employment rate, with all that being said many patients get frustrated and expect us to have the magic wand that will get them a letter that promises back pay and disability coverage instantaneously. I have written on this topic before, but it bears repeating since we are seeing 

more and more paperwork cross our desk. Unfortunately we also have patients who have unrealistic expectations about what we can or should do.  First we do charge a fee for the time it takes to complete the forms your work place or lawyer request. Some patients have utilized their GP to fill out paperwork. Feel free to go that route, but in my opinion, more often than not the GPs are not use to doing these forms. Let me say that at times they will do them free, and you get what you didn’t pay for. Usually an insufficient form that will not get you the results you hoped for. The disability evaluators usually look for a track record of seeing either us or other care givers on a 

routine basis. Many times we will get a call from someone who hasn’t been in for months to years and expects us to fill out forms as if we have been following and aware of their condition. Believe me when I say, your just telling me “how it is” does not convince a judge as much as if you had been seen and a chart documented your deterioration. Another pitfall we encounter is a patient who wants the forms done yesterday due to either time or financial pressure. While I empathize, taking care of sick hospital patients comes first, office patients second, and paperwork well, take a number and get in line behind the other 50 charts ahead of you. 

Another pitfall I see are patients who have failed to receive disability trying to do the application on their own. Although some patients succeed if their case is obvious i.e. : renal failure on dialysis, blindness, or other severe obvious limitations, most patients with chronic pain or fibromyalgia often need the help of a disability lawyer. That professional does extract a fee, but in my experience they know how to frame your application in the correct manner. Often patients will write volumes of diaries of daily pain experiences. I find personally that I think this frustrates and presents a disorganized chart to the examiner. Sometimes lawyers frame your case in a manner so that “less is more.” They get to the essential data and leave out all the superfluous issues.

Many times patients feel that if I say they are disabled that is all they should need. That is not the case by any stretch of the imagination. I have fought for patients many times, but again the insurance companies will often have the patient see an “independent” examiner and use their report to say you are not disabled. I understand all this is frustrating at a time when you are least able to get your thoughts together and work through the issues, but do what you must. If you can’t focus to do the paperwork have a friend or family member help you or hire a lawyer who specialized in disability law. We have references for you if you are so inclined.

Lastly I know some of you who will need to read this will not be in the office the month this Newzy arrives, or you may not be going through this application process until a year or more from now. Another reason I chose to write this is so that my staff could keep it on file and mail it to you months from the date of the original publication. Hopefully by realizing this is something we deal with on a routine basis, you can understand why these issues are frustrating to you, yet you are not alone in sharing these common problems.