If you are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) then you likely are suffering from some kind of severe medical issue. However, many applicants who seek SSDI/SSI benefits wind up having their application denied for medical reasons. Here are five common medical reasons you may have your SSDI or SSI application denied:
- Disability not considered sufficiently severe
- One of the main medical reasons that someone may not be able to obtain SSDI or SSI benefits is that their disability is not considered severe enough to qualify. In order for a medical condition to qualify as a disability for the purposes of SSDI or SSI, it must be sufficiently bad that it impairs a person’s ability to work or perform daily tasks. If someone is still able to work or perform daily tasks, their condition will not be considered severe enough.
- Ability to find alternative sources of work
- Whether or not a medical condition is considered severe enough to warrant SSDI or SSI is dependent on whether that person can reasonably expect to find alternative work suitable to their needs. This is dependent on their experience, skills, education, and other qualifications. This is why, for example, an uneducated construction worker who loses use of both of their legs might qualify for SSDI or SSI, but a college-educated accountant with the same injury might not.
- Lack of medical evidence
- Another one of the more common medical reasons for an SSDI or SSI application to be denied is a lack of medical evidence. In other words, even though you may have an injury or illness that may qualify as a disability, you lack the medical records, test results, or formal diagnosis necessary to prove it. Without this evidence, it is likely your disability benefits application will be denied.
- Failure to follow doctor’s orders
- Even if you have a disability and have medical evidence of it, you may be denied benefits if you failed to follow your doctor’s orders. This is because disability benefits are meant for people who cannot work, and if you can work when your condition is treated appropriately, you do not need those benefits. Thus, if you are prescribed a treatment and fail to follow it, you may have your SSDI or SSI benefits denied for medical reasons.
- Failure to attend DDS examination
- If you manage to get through the application process, you will likely need to attend a screening with a medical examiner at Disability Determination Services (DDS). They will perform their own independent examination of your condition to determine if you qualify for benefits. If you miss this examination, however, you may have your application denied outright.
If you or a loved one need assistance applying for SSDI or SSI benefits, it is important that you seek the guidance of an experienced Social Security Disability benefits lawyer. The lawyers at Sullivan & Kehoe, LLP have over 50 years of combined experience between its attorneys and are available to you or your loved one in obtaining Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits. To schedule a consultation with our New York Social Security Disability benefits lawyers, call (631) 823-7155.
