PSA: The missing medical records trick that saved my appeal

I spent 6 months waiting on a denial for my back disability claim before I figured out the real problem. Turns out my doctor sent in all the right notes and tests, but the SSA never got them because the fax machine at their office was broken. I called my clinic three separate times and they kept saying they sent everything. Finally I just drove over there and asked them to print me a copy of everything they submitted. That's when I noticed the fax confirmation sheet was blank. Took me about 2 weeks to get the records resent and another 4 months for a hearing date after that. If you are waiting forever on a decision, call your doctor's office and ask for a fax confirmation number for every single document they send. Has anyone else had a denial happen just because of a bad fax?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.lily12d ago

Oh man, this is such a frustrating thing to deal with! I can't believe you had to go through all that detective work just to find out it was a broken fax machine. I've heard similar stories from other people where the SSA just never gets the records and it screws everything up. It's crazy how something so simple can cause months of delays and a denial that isn't even your fault. Thanks for sharing this tip about the fax confirmation number, I'm definitely gonna keep that in my back pocket.

xena_bailey1811d ago

Did you try certified mail like @park.miles mentioned? That proof is a lifesaver.

park.miles11d ago

Tried mailing everything certified mail with return receipt after dealing with a similar SSA mess. The tracking gave me proof they actually got it on a specific date, and I could follow up with the exact delivery details when they claimed they never received anything. It saved me like three months of back and forth, definitely worth the extra few bucks for the peace of mind.

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