What medical records cost in your state
Here is a great site that lists all of the medical record charges by state. I have previously written about what it costs to get your records in Colorado. Colorado’s regulation is contained in 6 C.C.R. 1011-1, Chapter 2, Part 5.2.3.4
5.2.3.4 Unless otherwise prohibited by law, a representative of the patient, other than a “personal representative” as defined in the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) § 164.502(g), with the patient’s written authorization, shall pay for the reasonable cost of obtaining a copy of the patient’s record, which shall be $16.50 for the first ten or fewer pages, $.75 per page for pages 11-40, and $.50 per page for every additional …
What does a critical case review look like?
I have previously discussed expediting Social Security disability cases for Dire Need. I recently came across the worksheet that Social Security uses when evaluating these cases:
This includes consideration of the following issues:
Terminal illness.
Wounded warrior.
Compassionate allowance.
Dire need.
Suicidal/homicidal ideation cases.
Here is a link to the HALLEX for the form. Note: this a form Social Security uses internally. You do not need to use this to request consideration as a critical case. All you need to do is write a letter to the SSA office working on your case and state why the case should be expedited. Of course, the reason(s) should fall into one areas discussed above.
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Best Practices for Social Security Disability Representatives
Social Security has a great overview site for new Social Security disability representatives (both lawyers and non-lawyers) going over best practices before the Social Security Administration.
Here are some good tips:
Timely submit the form ssa-1696 and fee agreement.
Timely alert the hearing office of any change of address or phone number for either yourself or the claimant.
Do not submit duplicative evidence.
Submit evidence as far in advance of the hearing as possible, using electronic records express.
Before faxing evidence, check to ensure the evidence you are submitting matches the claimant.
Make sure the barcode is the first item faxed in order to ensure proper identification of all …
Can sit down jobs be LIGHT work?
Social Security separates jobs into groups based on physical requirements: sedentary, light, medium, and heavy. For many individuals, the outcome of a case depends on the number of sedentary jobs available.
This is often an issue in back injury cases where Light work is eliminated, but sedentary jobs are still a possibility. If there are enough of them. If a job can be put in the Light category, it may be eliminated based on physical limitations.
So, here is the question: can a sit down job requiring no more than lifting 10 pounds (typically suggesting Sedentary work) ever be a Light job? Yes, it can!
Many practitioners may be surprised by this. We have been taught (and we hear over and over) that sedentary work means: lifting no more than 10 pounds occasionally (up to 1/3 of an 8 hour day) or less than 10 pounds frequently (up to 2/3 of an 8 hour day) AND standing or walking no more than 2 hours out of 8.
So how can a job with almost no walking and lifting less than 10 pounds be light?
