When making a claim over a disability, it may be important to have a medical professional involved in the process. This person could be a doctor, and may even be the physician who has been treating you. But there are also cases when specific medical experts are brought in to give their testimony.
What are these doctors trying to do? Why does their expert testimony carry such weight? That testimony can help to define whether or not the benefits are necessary and how the case proceeds.
Providing medical evidence
One of the biggest things that doctors will do is to provide medical evidence of the disability that is being claimed by the individual. This evidence helps to back up that claim and show its validity, increasing the chances that the claim will be approved and benefits will be distributed.
For example, someone may have suffered a spinal cord injury, and they claim that it is now a disability that will keep them from working. A doctor may be able to demonstrate the exact mobility issues that they have due to that injury, how this changes their life as opposed to what it was like before, what treatments they are going to need, and how long the ailment is suspected to last.
Essentially, there are millions of applications for disability benefits every year. Some of these are denied on the grounds that the person doesn’t actually meet the definition of a disability, or they simply have a short-term issue for which benefits are not required. But there are definitely scenarios in which the individual will believe that they have a long-term disability, with clear symptoms, and they will still get denied. A medical professional can demonstrate that their claim is accurate, which may help them with the appeals process.
What do you need to do next?
The process of seeking benefits can take time and be a bit complicated, but you do have options. Make sure you know exactly what legal steps you can take and how to put yourself in the best possible position.