The Social Security Administration uses common sense when it comes to determining that a person has a medically determinable impairment. If a physician can diagnose a patient based on conditions beyond a person’s description of symptoms, the Social Security Administration (SSA) very often finds the person to have a medically determinable impairment. For example, as an Indiana Social Security disability attorney can explain, the SSA may require that a person’s diagnosis of fibromyalgia be based on a doctor’s counting tender points. Sometimes, however, the SSA may determine that a patient’s description of symptoms alone is acceptable in determining a person’s impairment. An example of this would be migraine headaches. These types of headaches are medically determinable based on a patient’s description of specific symptoms when a doctor can’t make any other diagnosis.
The Role of Doctors in Disability Determinations
An Indiana Social Security disability lawyer can explain that the SSA does not require a patient’s doctor to have any familiarity with deeming a person disabled. Finding a person disabled is not the doctor’s job; the term “disabled” refers to legal rather than medical determinations. Therefore, a doctor stating that a person is disabled carries little weight with the SSA. The SSA is more concerned with the doctor’s opinion in regards to what activities or work a patient can perform.
Contact an Indiana Social Security Disability Attorney for Assistance
Determining whether a person has a medically determinable impairment is an important part of a disability claim. If you need legal advice on the matter, call Indiana Social Security disability attorney Martin Barnes at 317-804-5058. Mr. Barnes is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association (Estate Planning and Administration Section) and the Indiana State Bar Association.