Hello and welcome to the 7th installment of my Q & A series, which is designed to cover some of the more elusive topics associated with the Social Security Disability claims process. In this post, I discuss what types of medical providers are deemed as “acceptable medical sources” by the Social Security Administration.

Question:

I recently applied for SSDI, and I want to make sure that the medical records I am providing to the SSA are from “acceptable medical sources.” Can you explain in detail what the SSA views as an acceptable medical source?

My answer:

The SSA considers an “acceptable medical source” to be any licensed physician (this includes D.O.s – Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine), licensed or certified psychologists, licensed optometrists, hospitals, clinics, and other health facilities where a claimant has been treated.

Remember, as has been previously mentioned on this blog, claimants are highly encouraged to see a physician/specialist who focuses primarily on their specific impairment. In a previous post about the importance of seeking specialized medical treatment,  for example, an individual suffering from migraine headaches and blurred vision was advised to see a headache specialist or neurologist who could substantiate their claim.

While general physicians are very knowledgeable and skilled (and are deemed to be an appropriate medical source by the SSA), I typically encourage my clients to try and see a specialist whose practice concentrates primarily on their particular impairment. These specialists will have the proper credentials, testing methods, and treatment plans for you, and your seeking their help will only serve to make your claim more credible in the eyes of the SSA.

I would like to address one last question I sometimes get from people suffering from a physical impairment like back  or neck pain. Many such claimants will see a chiropractor instead of, say, a spine specialist. Not to take away from the benefits chiropractors provide, but in my experience chiropractic records are not nearly as useful in a disability claim as compared to records from orthopedic and spine specialists or even those of D.O.s. If you are seeing a chiropractor, my best advice is to also seek a diagnosis or opinion from another type of medical source, so that you will be satisfying the SSA’s “acceptable medical source” requirements.