Getting approved for your disability benefits can sometimes seem like an uphill battle. One of the main factors in deciding whether or not you are approved for disability is your medical record. Therefore, the last thing you should want to do is give your doctor any reason to think that you are being fraudulent.
Here are a few things that you should avoid doing in order to keep your doctor from doubting your disability.
Pretending To Have Certain Symptoms
The best thing you can do for your disability case, as well as yourself, is be totally honest and transparent with your doctor. For one, they cannot give you the proper diagnosis if you are claiming to have symptoms that you don’t.
While you might think this will help to increase your chances of winning your case, it could actually backfire on you. During and after each examination, doctors make notes that will later go in a patient’s medical records, which will be reviewed so as to determine validity of disability. If you are truly being honest, you will most likely get the disability benefits that you deserve.
Don’t Go Overboard
While you might in fact be experiencing some pain or discomfort, do not exaggerate and say that you are experiencing pain at a level 10 when it is really a 3. Your doctor is a professional who has probably treated many people in your condition before; therefore, they know what type of pain you should be experiencing.
Furthermore, your doctor might even suspect that you are hoping to get a stronger prescription. The best thing you can do is to try to keep your statements factual and avoid over dramatizing your symptoms. Your doctor wants to keep you healthy and if you exaggerate or lie to your doctor, it will sabotage their efforts to help you.
Failing To Put in Maximum Effort
When it comes to dealing with a true disability, most people will want to regain a sense of normalcy as soon as possible. If you are not putting in much effort whenever you are having therapy sessions, this could cause your doctor to become suspicious of you.
Remember, your doctor is notating everything, even down to the way you perform during your therapy sessions. Your activities will be selected with the right level of intensity to match your abilities.
Doing any of the following might cause your doctor to notate that you are not complying with the program:
- Claiming you are too tired from meds
- You have made almost no progress since you began
- Saying you are in pain and can’t participate
Attempting To Discuss Your Case
It is okay if your doctor knows that you are filing for disability; however, you shouldn’t ever discuss the details of your case with your physician. And you most definitely should not ask your doctor how certain injuries affect disability cases or things of this nature.
If you want your doctor to be as unbiased as possible, you might not want to discuss your case with them at all. Otherwise, they might be inclined to study you a bit harder, and assume you are lying about your symptoms. You shouldn’t look at your doctor as an advocate for you as their only job is to treat your condition, and document your progress.
The best thing you can do for your case is to be fully honest, and follow your doctor’s orders. If you are scheduled to attend physical therapy sessions, make sure you show up and fully participate as best as you can. Even if you are feeling some discomfort, it is okay to let your therapist know as they will see that you did put in the effort. Don’t try to force an approval for benefits by over exaggerating as that might lead to your case actually being denied. Feel free to consult with a legal expert if you need more information.
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