Saturday, January 9, 2016

WHATS IN YOUR MEDICAL FILE?

What's in your medical file may shock you.  And if you are coming up for a Social Security disability hearing, you should find out.  Doctor's files often contain more than medical information.  And just because it's in your medical file doesn't necessarily mean that it's true.

For example, I once had a client who was confronted about his two week vacation to Vail, Colorado.  Turns out, he had told his doctor and the doctor had included a note about the vacation in the medical record.

I have found citations in medical files about gambling, drinking, smoking, vacations, domestic abuse, drug use, marital problems, shoplifting or other criminal activities, and much, much more.  And not all of the information was accurate.  Most often, the claimants had no idea these things were in their files.

Social media seems to be another prime source for revealing, personal information.  Does Social Security look at your Facebook page?  I assume they do.  You should, too.