Hello, this is social security disability lawyer in Arkansas, Jason Krebs, and in today’s video, this is the next in our series, “Do I Have a Good Disability Case?” I thought we would discuss a factor that we believe to be very important and that is consistency and credibility. And those two things go hand in hand. And what I mean by that is that are you consistent in what you are claiming? Are you consistent when you apply versus what you’re telling your doctors? Are you telling one doctor one thing and one doctor the other? Do I have a strong disability case?
Are you consistent in your actions? If you’re claiming you’re disabled and you’re talking to your doctors or there’s documentation somewhere that you’re out hunting and fishing or doing things that don’t indicate that you’re truly as disabled as you’re claiming, such as taking vacations, trips, going to concerts, those kinds of things. And it can be one reference in a medical record can really affect your case, so those are the kind of things.
Are you consistent? If you’re telling your pulmonologist that your back is fine and then you go to your orthopedic doctor and just go on about how terrible it is, that’s inconsistent. So it’s being consistent across what you’re telling people and how you’re acting. And it’s important that you be consistent. If you’re truly disabled, it shouldn’t be a problem.
But sometimes where people get in trouble is, they just don’t want to be a complainer. And they don’t say much when they’re talking to their doctors. And it’s really important, if you go in and say, for instance, you know, if you go in and say, “How you doing? I’m pretty good,” and leave it at that, well the doctor’s going to write down you’re doing pretty good because that’s what you told him. And they’re trying to help you. It’s their job to help you and like anybody else, they’re looking for positive movement in how you’re feeling and your treatment. So they’re looking for those kinds of things.
And if you are getting better, that’s fine. You know, maybe you’re not disabled. But if you’re not, you need to make sure that you’re being accurate in how you’re discussing your treatment and your feeling, how you’re feeling, with your medical professionals, the nurse, the doctor, physical therapist, anybody like that.
We offer a free book at KrebsLawOffice.com or give us a call, 1-800-345-0535, 417-883-5886. In Arkansas, it’s 870-741-8100. We look forward to hearing from you. We’d be glad to get that out to you if you’re in Missouri or Arkansas. Best of luck and thanks for watching your SSI disability attorney in Arkansas. Bye.