Medical records are the core of any long-term disability claim; leaving out any records produced by any medical provider can be highly damaging to your claim. However, there are many other ways to document the essential aspects of your LTD claim, including your medical condition and your ability to work. Some pieces of evidence that may be crucial to your claim include the following:

• Employment records, such as your job description and performance reviews from both prior to and after developing your disabling conditions
• Social Security disability records and/or claim file if your claim has been approved
• Functional capacity assessments
• Vocational analysis reports

To a large degree, other individuals, such as your employer, doctor, the Social Security Administration, and vocational experts are responsible for creating and maintaining these records. When you apply for long-term disability benefits, your role is to ensure that the claims examiner assigned to your claim has all available records and that those records are complete.

Nonetheless, there are other pieces of documentary evidence that you can produce yourself and provide to the disability claims examiner. For example, since personal testimony is not typically a part of the long-term disability claims or appeals process, writing a personal statement that chronicles the development of your disabling medical conditions and how those conditions impact your ability to work can be crucial to the success of your claim. You even could produce a video of yourself explaining the impact of your medical conditions on your work life, which can add a human element to your application for benefits or an appeal from the denial of benefits. Long-term disability claims are complex matters that require intensive knowledge of ERISA laws and regulations. As a result, you will need experienced legal representation and advice to pursue an ERISA-governed disability claim. Bonnici Law Group is a law firm focusing on ERISA long-term disability benefits and bicycle injury cases in San Diego, CA. When you need effective legal representation, contact Bonnici Law Group at 858-261-5454 or email us at help@bonnicilawgroup.com.