Tuesday Tips for the Frustrated Claimant
Injured, sick, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, frequent flare ups, migraine
headaches—the list goes on.
All good reasons to file for Social Security disability. All reasons likely to be overlooked by Social Security and end with denied claims.
What can you do to win your case? The top three tips I would give are these:
- Stay in medical treatment of any sort
Once out of work, it is hard to get treatment because of lack of money and lack of health insurance. You may be worried that you can’t see a specialist, or that your MRI was denied because of the cost. Don’t be. Even going to a local health department produces medical documentation to support disability. Many states have databases of free and charitable clinics. In North Carolina, visit https://ncafcc.org/
- Take medications as-prescribed
We get it. Medications are expensive. Whether the medications are only available at full-cost, or the co-pay is not affordable, people easily find themselves running out of medications with no way to refill them. The problem is that Social Security laws will often judge how your health is doing when you are following prescribed treatment. To get over that hurdle, look into medication assistance programs offered through the Dept of Health and Human Services. In North Carolina, DHHS publishes a county list that you can access by clicking here and then clicking on “Medication Assistance Program Sites.” North Carolina also has a statewide free pharmacy program for uninsured and low income patients https://medassist.org/free-pharmacy-program/
- Appeal your application when it gets denied
Most applications are denied when sent for the first review. Perhaps the greatest tip: Appeal and Appeal Again. There are policies, both written and unwritten, that lead to applications being denied on the first review. They are likely to be denied again the first time you appeal. Most cases stand their best shots at the administrative hearing level. You only have 60 days to appeal! If you are in North Carolina, and need help with your disability appeal, call us here at Hall & Rouse, 866-425-5347, or click the link on our website hall-rouse.com.
