Your doctor's progress notes will be the most important piece of evidence examined by Social Security decision makers. Be careful what you say to your doctor. Doctors often take very short, cryptic notes and may misinterpret or misunderstand what you tell them. This can hurt your Social Security disability claim.
We once had a claimant who told the doctor that he was helping a friend remodel a house. The doctor noted this in the progress report. It caused a lot of confusion with Social Security decision makers.
When I asked the claimant about the remark, he explained that he was once a carpenter and knew quite a bit about building. He would walk over to his neighbor's house each afternoon, look at the work being done and give advice. He never drove a nail, lifted a board or picked up a tool. This, however, is not what the doctor recorded.
Decision makers at Social Security are required to make a judgment about the credibility of the claimant. When you tell them your symptoms are so severe that you cannot work, they must decide whether to believe it. Statements like the one above in the doctor's progress report can damage a claimant's credibility. It can be explained but credibility issues may still remain.
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