New SSA Partnership Means Faster Disability Decisions for Veterans

The Social Security Administration has partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make a change in the way disability claims by veterans are handled.  

The Social Security Administration is now be able to receive medical records electronically from the VA.

In the past, the Social Security Administration had to receive paper records from the VA.  In some cases, this process could take weeks or even months.  The newly-implemented system, eHealth Exchange, now allows the same records to be accessed within minutes.

This change is part of a larger initiative by the Social Security Administration to improve the time it takes to evaluate Social Security Disability insurance claims.

SSA initiative Health IT is a program that seeks to expand the network of healthcare organizations and federal agencies that provide electronic health records.  At the time of this writing, the Social Security Administration has over 50 partners in the Health IT program.  The end goal is to make it easier and faster for organizations to submit health records on behalf of claimants.

Read more about the Health IT initiative here:  https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityssi/hit/our-initiative.html

Medical documentation is an essential part of a successful Social Security Disability insurance claim.

Take it from a Southern Illinois Social Security disability representative – the importance of thorough medical documentation from a licensed doctor to Social Security Disability insurance claims cannot be overstated.  Many people who would be otherwise eligible have had their claims denied due to lack of medical evidence.  A Southern Illinois disability attorney can evaluate your claim and tell you if you are likely to be approved or denied.

Joni Beth Bailey is a Southern Illinois Social Security Disability attorney.

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