West Virginia residents and others who are applying for disability benefits should reveal everything that ails them. This is a best practice when talking with a disability examiner or with a doctor during a consultative examination. During the application process, both examiners and doctors will look for even the slightest signs that a person is not entirely impaired. In some cases, doctors will observe patients walking into an appointment or how they move during them.
It isn’t uncommon for an applicant to feel badly about applying for benefits. Therefore, he or she will try to minimize the pain that accompanies one or more physical impairments. However, it is not in a person’s best interest to minimize their pain or act as if a condition doesn’t impact his or her daily life. Anything that an applicant says or does during a consultative examination is likely to be included in any report sent to an examiner.
It is important to point out that the consultative examination is performed by a private doctor but paid for by the government. It is usually scheduled to provide an examiner with baseline medical information to base a decision about an application from. Furthermore, an examiner may schedule an interview with an applicant to learn more about the specific ways a condition impacts that person’s quality of life.
If a person experiences a significant physical injury at work or anywhere else, it may be possible to apply for disability benefits. These benefits may make it possible to pay medical bills or other expenses while not being able to keep gainful employment. An attorney might help an applicant learn more about the application process or how to file an appeal. In some cases, an application won’t be approved until an administrative law hearing occurs.