When you seek Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, your application will ask for detailed information regarding the type of medical treatment you are seeking for your disability. This is because backing up your claim with medical proof is essential to getting SSD approval. It’s important that you do everything you can to keep up with medical treatments while working your way through the SSD application process.
Stopping treatment could be a serious mistake
Far too often, upon receiving a disability diagnosis, people tend to stop their medical treatments. Often, this is because a disability has forced people out of work. When you are out-of-work, you usually don’t have health insurance. Paying for treatments out-of-pocket can be expensive. This is especially true if you’re not earning any income. You might feel trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare.
Fortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) does recognize the hardships people face when they’re out-of-work and are having trouble getting medical care. The SSA cannot take a negative look at your medical treatment history if you provide evidence that you could not access low-cost care or lack sufficient health insurance.
There may be reasons that are not income-related for why you choose to stop seeking medical treatment. For example, you may have exhausted all treatment options and have not seen any improvement in your condition. If so, you will want to argue that you’ve reached maximum medical improvement and provide evidence to back up your claim.
Your doctor may have recommended surgery, and you refuse to undergo the procedure. If your refusal is based on little more than having cold feet, the SSA may view this as a refusal to comply with medical treatment and deny your SSD application. However, if you’ve undergone similar surgeries in the past with little to no improvement, your refusal may make more sense. Again, backing up your reasons with evidence is crucial.
Treatment shouldn’t stop once you start receiving benefits
You should continue to receive medical treatment even if you’re approved for SSD benefits. The SSA reserves the right to review your case to determine whether you’re still eligible to receive benefits. If you stopped seeking medical help after getting your benefits, the SSA would be skeptical as to whether you’re actually disabled.
The SSD application process can be complicated, and you may need to provide plenty of supporting evidence to strengthen your claim. A skilled legal professional can help guide you along in an effort to help secure the benefits you deserve.
