Social Security Disability Doctor, Supportive Statements

Most applicants who file for Social Security Disability (SSD) or SSI do so as a last resort—they simply are unable to earn a living due to their physical or mental condition. In many cases their treating physician, the one who is in the best position to evaluate their functional limitations and to give a prognosis (how the impairment will progress over time) agrees that the medical condition is both severe and disabling.

Yet, how much weight does one’s treating physician carry in the disability determination process? Sadly, at least at the first two levels of consideration, not enough.

Decisions on initial disability applications and first appeals (requests for reconsideration) are decided by disability examiners who work for the state Disability Determination Services (DDS) agency. These examiners are under an enormous amount of pressure to keep their total number of approvals down; they give little consideration to reports from treating physicians because the reports typically support the case for disability.

DDS examiners are subject to “quality control” reviews, and if they hand out too many approvals they will probably find themselves out of a job.

However, supportive statements from treating physicians can be very important to claimants who file a second appeal. The second appeal is decided at a disability hearing by a federal administrative law judge (ALJ), who is not employed by DDS, and thus is not subject to the same pressure to deny disability claims. Perhaps because they do not feel the same pressure to deny claims, disability judges tend to give great weight to the opinions of claimants’ treating physicians, and are statistically far more likely to approve SSD/SSI claims than disability examiners: about half of all disability claims denied by DDS are later approved by an ALJ at the hearing level.

So, having a supportive opinion from a doctor can make or break a disability case if it has reached the hearing level, though the exact same opinion will have little if any impact on the decision of a disability examiner.

This is no accident: the entire disability determination process is designed to frustrate and discourage applicants, and the strategy works. Most individuals who are denied disability benefits do not appeal, or at least do not appeal to the hearing level, at which they stand their best chance of winning.

Claimants with severe mental or physical medical conditions who have the support of their treating physicians are in a good position to win Social Security disability benefits—if they have the stamina to see their claims through to the second level of appeal, a disability hearing before a judge.


For information on Social Security Disability, visit the

Social Security Disability Benefits Resource Center

Will I Get SSI or SSD Disability With a Ruptured Disc?

SSI (supplemental Security Income) disability is a need based disability program administered by the Social Security Administration. Like all need-based programs, an individual’s ability to receive benefits depends upon meeting certain income and resource limits. In addition to income and resource limits, an individual must have a medically determinable mental impairment and/or physical impairment that has prevented them from performing any substantial work activity (SGA) for twelve months, is expected to prevent substantial work activity for twelve months, or is expected to result in death.

Social Security disability programs are based more upon an individual’s residual functionality (what an individual is able to do despite the limitations imposed upon them by their medical condition or conditions), than what an individual’s particular medical or mental condition.

So will an individual get SSI disability with a ruptured disc?

The answer to this question is “possibly”. Keep in mind; your ruptured disc has to be a medically determinable impairment that is documented by objective medical evidence such as an MRI, CT scan, or x -ray, along with clinical information including an analysis of your symptoms and medical examinations.

Social Security does accept statements from your treating physician and third parties (friends, employers, family members, etc.), however these statements are basically worthless without objective medical evidence. If possible, it is important to have an established medical history with a treating physician, however even hospital emergency room medical treatment records are preferable to no treatment notes.

Remember, SSI and Social Security disability depends upon what an individual is able to be in spite their disabling condition. If your ruptured disc has prevented you from performing routine daily activities such as personal grooming, driving, household chores, and substantial work activity, your chances of being medically approved for SSI or Social Security disability due to your ruptured disc are good. Since SSI disability is a need based disability program you have to be medically approved for disability, as well as meet income and resource limits to get disability benefits.

For information on Social Security Disability, visit the

Social Security Disability Benefits Resource Center







Social Security Disability Topics

Can an individual qualify for Social Security disability or SSI on the basis of anxiety or panic attacks ?
Do You Qualify For SSDI Benefits from SSA?
Who qualifies for disability benefits ?
Qualification for Social Security Disability
Supplemental Security Income - SSI Disability

Long-term Planning For a Successful Retirement

Depending on your age, there are different steps you must take to ensure a secure retirement. It’s never too early, or too late for that matter, to plan for the future, especially in today’s economy.

If you are in your 20s and 30s you may think retirement is so far out that you do not need to give it serious consideration.

But even this early in your career its best to begin laying groundwork for the future. Your investment strategy should be fairly aggressive, because you can afford to weather the market’s ups and downs. Over half of your investments should be in stocks and mutual funds (up to 80%), the rest in CDs, bonds, or money markets. Your goal is too keep your credit card debt down, grow your income, and of course sock as much as you can in retirement funds, such as 401(k)s, IRAs, etc.

By the time you are in your 40s or 50s your investment strategy should change a bit, as you are now mid-career. Buying a house, if you haven’t already, can help you build equity while providing you a secure residence for retirement. If you already own a home, be sure to keep on top of the interest rate, shopping around for the best deal possible. Now is a good time to refinance. Consider cutting the amount you hold in stocks or stock mutual funds by at least 10%, and investing more in conservative mutual funds or CDs, bonds, and money market accounts.

In your 60s (and beyond) you need to determine the Social Security and pension to which you are entitled if you choose to retire early as compared to holding off retirement. You can do this either by contacting the SSA directly or having your accountant look into it for you. Speak with a financial advisor about when to begin withdrawing from tax-deferred retirement accounts (after 59 ½ you can take money out without penalty, but the money will be taxed). However, by law, after age 70 ½ you must begin to withdraw the minimum from IRAs and some other retirement funds unless your employer sponsors the plan.

Now is the time to start getting your affairs in order, we’re talking about serious estate planning here, so that your assets are as shielded from estate taxes as possible. It’s also a good idea to change your health insurance to include some kind of long-term care benefit, and to purchase disability or life insurance if you haven’t already done so.

This late in the game you want to try to keep your debt down, but if you think you might be short of funds in your retirement, the time to take out a home-equity loan or apply for additional credit is now, while you are still working. Your investment strategy at this age should be, in a word, conservative. Continue to reduce the amount you hold in stocks, and increase your investment in CDs, bonds, or money markets.

After you decide your retirement age, meet with a Social Security claims representative to determine when you need to apply for benefits (this should be done at least 3 months before you retire). Be sure that all Social Security and pension benefits are set for direct deposit to your bank account, and talk to a financial advisor about the pros and cons of taking any money in your 401 (k) in a lump sum versus payments. Continue to reduce your debt, if possible, and be leery of taking out a reverse mortgage or taking on any other large debt. Continue to reduce your stock fund investments, and increase your holdings in CDs, bonds, or money markets.



For information on Social Security Disability, visit the

Social Security Disability Benefits Resource Center











Social Security Disability Topics

Qualify for disability
How to Qualify for Disability - How severe must a condition be?
How many work quarters do you need to qualify for disability ?
Is it hard to qualify for Social Security benefits if you have depression?
If you have had a heart attack will you qualify for Social Security disability?

Collecting Social Security: Now or Later?

The following article helps you sort through the details of answering an age-old question (no pun intended): Should I collect Social Security at age 62, or if I am able should I wait until later? While many people are in a financial bind that nearly forces them to take their Social Security benefits as soon as they turn 62 to meet their mortgage payments and basic necessities, others can afford to wait for a while. If you are one that can afford to wait, this article will tell you WHY you should wait.

The article points out that working longer to save more and receive a larger check in the future can be helpful to rebuild retirement accounts that may have been ravaged in the market. The article also discusses the advantages of a bigger nest egg and points out that if the unfortunate happens, the surviving spouse would receive a larger payment. In addition, this article takes a look at the real question when it comes to Social Security benefits: how long do you expect to live?

In this article you’ll also find helpful online tools for estimating your benefit amounts at various ages to help you decide if the money is worth the wait.

When to collect Social Security



For information on Social Security Disability, visit the

Social Security Disability Benefits Resource Center