Evaluating Chiropractic Evidence in Social Security Disability Cases

An experienced Florida Social Security disability attorney will tell you that the Social Security Administration differentiates between evidence from “acceptable” medical sources and “other” medical sources.

You may be surprised to learn that chiropractors appear on the list of “other” medical sources, a list that includes, among others, nurse practitioners and naturopaths. In fact, the administrative law judge hearing your Social Security disability case may consider chiropractic evidence to be the least reliable form of “other” medical source evidence. Accordingly, the judge presiding over your hearing may assign less weight to records from your chiropractor compared to records from other medical sources. Likewise, the judge may give less credibility to your chiropractor’s opinion regarding your impairment.

Due to the lack of credence given to chiropractic evidence in Social Security cases, you should not rely solely on chiropractic evidence to prove that you are “disabled” as defined by the Social Security Administration. You are advised to get an opinion regarding the existence of your disability from an “acceptable” medical source, such as a medical doctor. You may, however, rely on records from your chiropractor as additional evidence of the severity of your injury and its effect on your ability to perform your job duties. Thus, if regular chiropractic treatment provides you relief, you should continue to see your chiropractor, obtain an opinion from your chiropractor, and you or your Florida Social Security disability attorney should present this to the judge presiding over your case as supplemental evidence that you sought ongoing treatment for disabling pain.

For more information about your disability case, contact dedicated Ocala disability lawyer Claudeth Henry for a free consultation today. Simply fill out the form on this page or call (352) 304-5300.