You can request an attending physician statement (APS) from your healthcare provider when you need to apply for Long Term Disability benefits. You must get your doctors to fill out this form and provide it to you if you need it when filing for disability benefits.
A Houston Long Term Disability lawyer can give you more information about how to obtain an attending physician statement for your disability claim and what goes into the process of securing this document.
How Do You Obtain an Attending Physician Statement for Your Disability Claim?
To get your APS, you will likely need to bring the form to your appointment with your doctor.
Once your doctor has all the information necessary to complete the form, they will fill it out. Your physician should then return the form to you so you can submit it to your insurance company.
An attorney can give you more information about how to obtain an attending physician statement for your disability claim. You do not have to try to get all the paperwork together for your benefit application on your own.
What Information Does an APS Include?
Your APS should contain information about your medical conditions and the impact of your disability on your ability to work. Generally, this statement comes in the form of a questionnaire that your physician must complete on your behalf.
Examples of the information found on an APS can include:
- Details about your symptoms
- Information about your medical history
- A list of medical diagnostic tests you took and their results
- Details about your treatment plan
- The date on which you became disabled
- The date that your doctor expects you to return to work
Note that the precise questions included on an APS can vary. Your doctor will need to completely fill out the specific form that you provide before you submit it to the insurance company.
For a free legal consultation, call (800) 562-9830
Who Fills Out Your Attending Physician Statement?
Multiple medical professionals may need to fill out attending physician statements when you’re applying for Long Term Disability benefits. Basically, any medical provider who treats your disabling condition may need to complete these forms.
Each relevant medical professional should receive their own form. Therefore, you may end up with multiple forms that you need to submit to your insurance company.
The more information you can provide about your disability and its effects on your life, the stronger you can make your disability claim. However, you do not want to submit irrelevant forms. An attorney can help you determine how many APS forms you need.
Review Your APS Forms Before You Submit Them to the Insurance Company
You should look over any APS forms provided by your physicians before you submit them to your insurance company.
Before you send off the forms, make sure that:
- The correct doctors completed your APS forms
- The forms accurately reflect the extent of your disability
- The physicians completely filled out the forms, leaving no blank spaces
- The physicians correctly filled out the form and included all the correct dates
You should also check the accuracy of all the information provided by your physicians. Doctors often juggle many patients and can make mistakes, especially during busy times.
Submitting incorrect or incomplete attending physician statements to your insurance company can make it significantly harder to get the benefits you need when facing a disability. Your attorney can help you review these forms when necessary.
How Do You Submit an APS to the Insurance Company?
Your attorney will likely submit your APS report along with the rest of your benefits application to the insurance company. Your attorney can gather additional evidence, including further medical documentation, to support your claim.
In some cases, the insurance company will request APS reports after you submit an initial request for Long Term Disability benefits. Your attorney can help you understand when and how to provide this document to the insurance company.
Contact Us for Help With Your Long Term Disability Claim
Do you need to know how to obtain an attending physician statement for your disability claim? You can get the information you need from our team at Marc Whitehead & Associates. We have over 120 years of combined experience working on disability claims for clients like you, and we’re ready to take charge of all of your concerns.
We can deal with the insurance company, review your APS before we submit it to the company, and gather the rest of the documentation you need to support your claim. We believe in offering our clients dedicated support every step of the way, and we’ll ensure you understand what you need to do to apply for Long Term Disability benefits.
We can also step in to help if the insurance company denies your initial request for benefits. We know how to handle the appeals process. Contact us for the dedicated support you need right now.
Call or text (800) 562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form