What to Do (And Not Do) When Waiting for Your Disability Hearing

You’ve filed your appeal and begun the (probably long) wait for your social security disability hearing. There are some important things you should do and not do to help your case during this time.

Do:

  • Continue with regular medical treatment. Be a model patient. Do everything your doctor asks you to do to speed up your recovery.
  • Make sure your doctor understands your symptoms and limitations, including any that arise from side effects of medication. Tell your doctor how your symptoms have affected your daily activities.
  • Keep track of your medical appointments. Your attorney will ask you for a list from time to time.
  • Provide your attorney with complete names and addresses of all the health care providers who treat you. Gather their business cards and send them to your attorney when he or she asks for a medical care update.
  • Send your attorney copies of any disability or work release forms your doctor has given you describing your work limitations. These forms are often omitted from the records your attorney gets from your doctor. Such forms sometimes win cases.

Don’t:

  • Talk with your doctor about what your attorney has told you about your disability case. Also, don’t talk with your doctor about how frustrated you are with the Social Security Administration or how slow the process is. Remember that your doctor may write down anything you say in your medical records, which will be read by the judge. When such things appear in medical records, they can give the wrong impression.
  • Put any personal information on the Internet where everyone, including someone from the Social Security Administration, could see it.
  • Discuss your disability case online. It is possible that something you say online could create the wrong impression.