When you apply for Social Security disability insurance in Lincoln as a result of your neurological condition, providing sufficient medical evidence is crucial to the success of your claim. This evidence is used to demonstrate the severity of the impairment that you suffer. Only long-term impairments that render it impossible for you to work will qualify you for SSDI benefits. Medical evidence typically comes from the health care providers that have provided you with evaluations or treatments for the neurological condition that you suffer from.

However, not all health care providers are acceptable medical sources for providing information to the Social Security Administration. In general, acceptable providers of health care information include the following:

  • A licensed medical or osteopathic physician.
  • A licensed or certified psychologist, for the purpose of establishing mental retardation, learning disabilities, and borderline intellectual functioning.
  • A licensed optometrist, for the purpose of establishing visual disorders.
  • A licensed podiatrist, for purposes of establishing impairments of the feet or ankles. It is important to note that in some states, a podiatrist is only permitted to practice podiatry on the feet, and not the ankles.
  • A qualified speech-language pathologist, for the purpose of establishing speech or language impairments. The definition of “qualified” may depend on the state where the pathologist practices. To be qualified, the pathologist must be licensed by the state’s education agency. Alternatively, the pathologist may hold a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Other providers who are treating your condition may not be deemed “acceptable” for purposes of documenting your impairment according to the regulations imposed by the Social Security Administration.

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Sean D. Cuddigan
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SSA and VA Disability Attorney in Omaha, Nebraska