Why You Need a Medical Source Statement for Your SSDI Application

Do you have an injury or condition that keeps you from earning a living? If so, you may be entitled to Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, which provide financial payments to workers who become disabled from gainful employment. However, the Social Security Administration has limited resources to pay SSDI benefits. To ensure that the taxpayer money it spends goes to people who truly need it, the agency imposes strict definitions on what qualifies as a “disability” that entitles a person to benefits.

If you’re preparing an SSDI application, obtaining a medical source statement for disability can make your case more persuasive and give you a better chance to receive disability benefits.

What is a Medical Source Statement?

A medical source statement refers to a document authored by a medical professional, such as a physical therapist or physician, that describes the functional limitations caused by a patient’s disabilities.

A medical source statement will contain the evaluating healthcare provider’s:

• Diagnosis of the person’s condition
• Evaluation of the severity of the condition
• Opinion on the person’s ability to work given their condition

A medical source statement will sometimes also cover the person’s general medical history and the treatments they received for their disabling condition. 

What to Include in A Medical Source Statement

Your doctor or healthcare provider may include various pieces of information in a medical source statement to help the Social Security Administration understand the nature of your disability and how it prevents you from working. Medical source statements can include information such as:

• Your diagnosis
• The results of diagnostic testing, including physical exams, radiology scans, and lab tests
• Treatments you have undergone for your condition, including surgeries or physical therapy
• Medications you take for your condition, including the dosage amount, frequency, and duration of prescription, as well as the effectiveness of the medication
• What functional capabilities do you retain
• What functional deficits are caused by your condition, including how those deficits relate to your current and past job duties

Why Does a Medical Source Statement Matter?

For your SSDI application to be approved, you must show the Social Security Administration you have a condition that:

• Has lasted at least 12 months or will likely last for at least 12 months or result in death; and
• Prevents you from performing major life activities and working in your current job, past jobs, or other jobs consistent with your education and training.

While you may submit medical records with your SSDI benefits application to establish the nature and severity of your disability, those records may not contain information regarding your functional capacity (what kinds of activities or work activities you can or cannot do). Medical records can establish a diagnosis, but they may not explain why your condition prevents you from performing your job duties. 

A medical source statement allows your treating providers to describe the disabling nature of your medical condition and explain how your condition adversely affects your working capacity, such as your ability to sit, stand, walk, lift, remember, or follow directions. Regulations require the Social Security Administration to consider any such medical statement you submit to it. However, the SSA remains free to determine how much weight to give your statement based on factors such as:

• The duration and nature of your doctor-patient relationship with the healthcare provider and how well the provider knows your overall health condition
• The number of times the provider has seen you
• The provider’s specialization
• The exams or testing performed by the provider
• The detail and quality of the provider’s explanation of your condition
• The degree to which the medical evidence supports the provider’s opinion

How to Get a Medical Source Statement

As you prepare to apply for SSDI benefits, you can ask your treating provider to write a medical source statement to support your application. 

You should have an established treatment history with the provider stretching back at least several months. Healthcare providers who regularly treat patients with disabling conditions will know how to draft medical source statements for SSDI applications. Some medical offices have an official procedure for requesting a medical source statement, whereas other providers may ask you for an official form or template they can use. Your provider may also want you to submit to further examination or testing to help the provider draft their opinion. 

Generally speaking, it’s better to get the medical source statement as early in the disability claims application process as possible. However, it might be better to wait to request a statement from your provider in certain circumstances, such as:

• When your impairment has not yet lasted 12 months, and your provider believes your condition may improve
• When you’ve begun treating with a new provider, as they may need more time to familiarize themselves with your condition
• When your provider has not yet finalized your diagnosis
• When you’ve experienced ups and downs in your condition, a source statement provided once your condition has stabilized will likely be more persuasive

Can I Still Get SSDI Benefits if I Don’t Get a Medical Source Statement?

A medical source statement is not a mandatory part of an SSDI application. However, obtaining one can greatly improve the chances of your Social Security disability claim being approved, as it provides compelling expert testimony establishing the nature and severity of your disabling condition and how it restricts your ability to work. This is particularly true if you have a condition that’s not listed in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book of medical impairments, as an applicant suffering from an unlisted condition must prove their condition is equivalent in severity to a listed condition. 

Medical source statements can also help in cases involving emotional or cognitive conditions, as proving you cannot work because of an “invisible” ailment is often more challenging than proving a physical disability. 

Contact Our Social Security Disability Attorneys for Help with Your Claim

Are you applying for SSDI benefits? If so, the team with Ryan Bisher Ryan & Simons can advise you on whether a medical source statement would make your application more compelling. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation to discuss your rights and options for obtaining the Social Security disability benefits you need.