In a previous article, Attorney Michael Liner discussed Consultative Examinations, also known as Disability Exams, and what to expect going into an appointment.
In this article, Michael Liner gives four specific things to keep in mind when going in for a disability exam.
- Be honest
- Tell the medical examiner if you’re having a good day or a bad day
- Bring relevant medical records
- Bring a witness or ask to record the exam
Four Tips for Disability Exams
Transcript: In an earlier video, we described what a consultative exam is and when they are used. In this video, I want to give you specific tips that you can use to help you in your consultative exam. The first tip that I want to give that I think is really important is to be honest and forthright at the exam. Don’t exaggerate any of your symptoms or limitations, but you also want to make sure that you’re not underreporting any of your symptoms or limitations as well. Second, if you’re having a good day on the day of your consultative exam, make sure to tell the examiner the way that you feel on that day is not always the way that you feel. Having that documented may help you later if social security tries to hold any lesser exam finding against you to allow you to explain that the way you felt on the day of your consultative exam is not the way you feel on an average day or a bad day. The next tip I’d offer is that since social security might not have provided all of your medical records like they were supposed to, it might be a good idea to take any medical records that you believe are relevant or should be reviewed by the doctor that’s doing the exam, ESPECIALLY, and I want to emphasize ESPECIALLY, any opinions from your doctors about limitations that you have. And the last tip that I would offer to people: if there’s anything that seems “off” about the exam or the location, if anything doesn’t seem right, what you might want to consider doing, and this is something to use with caution, is to ask to bring into the exam room a witness, or ask the doctor if you have permission to record the exam just so you have a recording that you can use later if there are any questions about what actually happened while you were there.
Contact Social Security Disability Lawyer
If you are going through the process of getting social security disability benefits, don’t walk through this journey alone.
Over 70% of initial social security disability applications are denied. When you hire Liner Legal, you can focus on your health while we worry about the rest.
Call (216) 282-1773 or fill out a contact form online to sign up for a free consultation with an expert social security disability lawyer.
