How Belladonna Turned Water into Wine

When I told my doctor I was applying for disability, she said “I support you, but I don’t fill out disability paperwork.” She said it was not personal and she did not do paperwork for any of her patients.

I collected and read all my medical records. They were OK, but not really helpful. They just listed my medications, symptoms and diagnosis. There was no explanation of how or why I couldn’t function and couldn’t work.

I was really upset and didn’t know what to do. But then my Social Worker said she would help me. She wrote a report for me summarizing my medical history and problems with functioning. I brought her a short list of my medical history and symptoms so it would be easy for her to do this. The report she wrote was really great.

The only problem is I read that a Social Worker is not the right kind of doctor to sign a report. I read that Social Security might just ignore the whole report because the wrong person signed it, and I met someone this happened to. I did not want to take that risk.

At the end of the report, I attached a page where both my Social Worker and my doctor could sign. The page didn’t include any writing, it just listed their names and credentials (“MD” and “LCSW”) and contact info and then had a spot for date and signature.

Then I made an appointment with my doctor and asked her to read the report and to consider co-signing if she agreed with it. My doc was not willing to take the time to fill out forms…. but she was willing to take a few minutes to read the report!!!

My doctor said, “This is an excellent report,” and signed her name.

I was approved two months later. I requested my file, and it was very clear that that report was the number one reason I had gotten approved.

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Learn More

How To Get Your Doctor to Fill Out Disability Paperwork

How to Get a Social Worker