DOCTOR'S ROLE IN YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PROCESS

Doctor's always play a role in the Social Security disability process, although many of them are reluctant to "get involved."  Often, doctors will refuse to do more than provide medical records, which is often insufficient to get a fair disability determination.

 
Doctors' refusal to get involved may simply be a time saving decision on their part.  Or it may represent a misunderstanding in the appropriate role that doctors play in the disability decision making process.

Doctors are never allowed to determine whether a patient is disabled or not.  That decision is always reserved for the Commissioner of Social Security.

Doctors are asked to provide professional opinions about their observations and evaluations of their patients.  According to federal regulations (20 CFR 404.1527) a doctor who has a treating relationship with a patient is in the best position to accurately judge the nature and severity of the claimant's symptoms.

While a disability claimant may hire an examination from a consulting doctor, Social Security will give this doctor's opinion less weight than would be given to the doctor who regularly treats the claimant (20 CFR 404.1527(c)(2).