When you apply for Social Security disability benefits you will have to show that you meet the Oklahoma Social Security disability medical requirements or your application for benefits will be denied.
The SSA has set very specific medical requirements that anyone applying for SSDI must meet. That’s to make sure that the money from the benefits is going to help people who are really disabled and really can’t work.
In addition to your application forms, you will have to submit a lot of medical evidence when you apply for SSDI so that you can prove you meet the Oklahoma Social Security disability medical requirements.
Understanding the SSA’s Blue Book
The Social Security Administration publishes a list of all the conditions that qualify someone to receive benefits. It’s called the Blue Book, and you should use the Blue Book listings as a guide to make sure that you have enough medical evidence to prove that you can’t work.
What is the Blue Book?
The Blue Book can help you make sure that you have met all the SSA’s criteria for disability. The first requirement that you must meet in order to apply for SSDI in Oklahoma is that you must have not worked for at least 12 months before you apply. That shows the SSA that your condition is long-term.
Next, you must have a letter of diagnosis stating that you have a physical or mental health condition that is listed in the Blue Book. You will also need to submit evidence that shows you meet all the listing requirements for the condition that you have.
Every listing in the Blue Book has a set of specific requirements for that condition. Oklahoma Social Security disability medical requirements are that you must meet all of those requirements or your application may be denied.
Submitting medical records and other documentation that shows you meet each specific requirement in the Blue Book for the condition that you have is the best way to get your application for SSDI in Oklahoma approved.
Medical Documentation Needed to Support Your Claim in Oklahoma
The medical records and documentation that you submit will directly impact your claim for SSDI in Oklahoma. Include as much medical evidence as you can. All of your medical records should be submitted with your application.
Types of Medical Records to Submit
If you’re not sure whether or not to include a piece of medical evidence it’s better to include it. You can’t have too much medical evidence, but you can have too little. One of the most common reasons why Oklahoma disability applications are denied is because the applicant didn’t include enough medical evidence. At the very least you must submit at least these records to support a claim for SSDI in Oklahoma:
- A letter of diagnosis
- Diagnostic test results
- Treatment records
- Doctor’s notes
- Hospitalization records
- Imaging like X-rays, PET scans, or MRIs
- Prescription lists
- Bloodwork results
- Test results
- Emergency or Urgent Care visits
Basically, any records related to your illness or treatment should be included with your application for SSDI in Oklahoma.
How to Strengthen Your Medical Evidence
Submitting your medical records from doctors and other medical professionals is the best way to prove that you meet the SSA’s standards for disability. The more detailed your records are the easier it will be to prove that your condition makes it impossible for you to work.
Proof of regular and ongoing treatment and follow-up medical visits with doctors in Oklahoma is also important because it shows that the condition is ongoing and expected to last for a long time, if not forever.
Importance of Following Treatments & Follow-Up Care in Oklahoma
The SSA will check to see if your condition is ongoing and makes it impossible for you to work on a continuing basis. That’s why you must show that you are receiving ongoing care for your condition. It shows the SSA that you are not expected to get better.
Importance of Ongoing Treatment
Showing consistent ongoing treatment and care for your condition is the key to a successful SSDI claim in Oklahoma. You must be able to show that you are following all of the doctor’s recommended treatments. That means you must submit proof that you’re going to therapy if recommended, taking medications, and doing everything that your doctor wants you to do.
If you can’t show that you are taking prescribed medication, going to follow-up medical visits, and doing all the things that your doctor recommends for your condition your application for SSDI may be denied, unless you can provide a valid reason for not following the doctor’s orders.
For example, you may not take your prescribed medications if those medications result in severe side effects. The SSA would take that into consideration when looking at your application.
Proving Long-Term Disability
If you’re applying for SSDI in Oklahoma make sure that you have copies of your medical appointment summaries, treatment notes, and other documents showing you have gone to all medical appointments. On-going treatment shows the long-term impact of the condition and that you are still unable to work.
Consultative Exams & Their Role in the Evaluation Process
If you don’t have enough medical evidence to prove that you’re eligible for SSDI in Oklahoma or if you don’t submit enough evidence with your application the SSA may require that you go through a consultive exam.
What is a Consultative Exam?
A consultive exam is a medical exam performed by a doctor who works directly with the SSA. The doctor who performs your consultive exam will not be your personal doctor.
The doctor chosen by the SSA will examine you to help determine the nature of your disability and whether or not your medical condition really makes it impossible for you to work.
Preparing for a Consultative Exam
Don’t get scared or nervous if the SSA requires that you go through a consultive exam. It doesn’t mean they don’t believe you or that you’re in trouble. It just means the SSA needs documentation of your condition.
Always be honest with the doctor about the symptoms that you have and how they limit your ability to work. Don’t embellish your symptoms or the effect that they have on you.
To prepare for a consultive exam in Oklahoma you should get copies of all your medical records and keep them in a folder or binder. Also, create a list of all the symptoms that you have and how they limit your ability to work. Bring all of your records including your prescription list with you to your consultive exam.
Receiving Benefits if You Don’t Meet Medical Requirements in Oklahoma
Medical evidence alone may not be enough to show that you meet the Oklahoma Social Security disability requirements. Especially if you have a rare condition or one that isn’t listed in the Blue Book. If you have a rare or unlisted condition you will have to submit extra documentation to prove that your condition makes it impossible for you to work.
How to Qualify with Unlisted Conditions
Even though there are more than 200 conditions in the Blue Book, there are a lot of rare disorders not listed. Applicants can still qualify for disability benefits in Oklahoma even if their condition is not listed in the Blue Book. You just have to submit more documentation to prove that your condition is equally as severe as the conditions that are listed in the Blue Book.
Medical records, statements from doctors or specialists, and other documents can qualify you to be approved for SSDI with a medical-vocational allowance.
Medical-Vocational Allowances
Medical-vocational allowances make it possible for someone to prove they are disabled and can’t work even if they don’t meet the Blue Book requirements for disability.
The SSA will look at your medical evidence, statements from your doctors, your age, your work history, your education, and other factors to determine if there is any kind of work you can do.
If they can’t find any type of work you can do with the condition that you have, then you will be eligible for SSDI benefits in Oklahoma
Working with an Oklahoma Disability Lawyer
Working with an Oklahoma disability lawyer can increase the chances of getting your application approved. An Oklahoma SSDI lawyer can help you with things like:
- Meeting deadlines
- Understanding the application
- Gathering medical evidence
- Filling out the application
- Filing appeals
Fill out the Free Case Evaluation now to get connected with an Oklahoma SSDI lawyer who can help you with your Oklahoma SSDI application.
