No matter our age or what we do for a living, suffering a serious injury or illness is unexpected. Whether you have been informed of a diagnosis of a severe disease or you suffered a serious injury in a motor vehicle accident or workplace incident, it is important to understand there are resources available. If a debilitating injury or illness has made it difficult or even impossible to maintain a job or obtain gainful employment, it can be challenging to meet your financial needs. Thus, some individuals in Florida and elsewhere seek to utilize Social Security disability benefits to offset these financial difficulties.
The application process involved with Social Security disability has been described as lengthy, difficult and challenging. It can take an applicant much time to compile the necessary paperwork, even when they obtain assistance from a representative. Thus, recent changes have been implemented to help ease and progress the process for applicants whether they are filing their initial application or an appeal.
Based on recent reports, the acting commissioner of Social Security announced their new collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine in efforts to access medical records electronically. As one of the leading health care systems in the U.S., Johns Hopkins serves over 2.8 outpatients each year. And as part of this collaboration, Johns Hopkins Medicine will transmit their complete medical record securely for Social Security disability applicants.
With the necessary consent in place, the Social Security Administration will receive the requested medical records within minutes or hours. Previously, this process took weeks when requested via mail, fax or website. This new electronic system does not only save vital time for applicants, but also saves money.
The goal of this collaboration is to make for fast, safe and secure transmitting of medical records. Additionally, this process significantly shortens the times it will take for the SSA to make a decision. Overall, this makes the process more efficient. Additionally, over the past few years, the SSA has entered into similar relationships. Thus, by developing even more of these collaborations across the nation, applicants can be better served.
Applying for SSD benefits might seem overwhelming, but there are measures an applicant can take to ease the process. By becoming better informed and seeking guidance, applicants can successfully file an initial application or an appeal that is complete.
Source: Cecildaily.com, “Social Security collaboration makes disability process more efficient,” July 24, 2017
