The idea of being disabled invokes different images in each person’s mind, so it isn’t surprising that oftentimes we hear clients say: “My doctor won’t say I am disabled because I can do a desk job, or I can be re-trained”. It is important to keep in mind when you talk to your physician about your limitations, that in the world of Social Security Disability, your doctor doesn’t determine whether you are disabled; either the agency reviewers, or an Administrative Law Judge does.
What is really needed from your doctor is clinical testing and observations about what you can do and/or what your limitations are. In many cases of individuals who are 50 and older (45 if illiterate), they are not necessarily disabled from every job, but social security recognizes that it becomes much more difficult to be retrained and then hired as we get older. Therefore, if you can only do some jobs that are sit-down jobs; then you may still be disabled.
In addition, certain restrictions could keep you from working that your Doctor may not necessarily even think of, such as needing to elevate one’s legs because of swelling throughout the day, or postural limitations such as bending and stooping. Therefore, it is critically important that when talk to your physician about your disability case, you concentrate on the specifics of your limitations rather than being labeled “Disabled”.
The more that your Doctor can include about your limitations in clinical testing, observations, and opinions in the records the better the chance is for your case to be successful. To better understand how the law may apply to your case, give us a call today.
