Three months to get a simple SSA form signed by my doctor

I needed my primary care doctor to fill out a residual functional capacity form back in April. Simple stuff, just checking boxes about what I can and can't do. Three months and four calls later, the office finally had it ready. Then they wanted $50 just to release it to me. Anyone else run into doctors dragging their feet on these forms? How long did yours take?

2 comments

2 Comments

sarah_hart27d ago

Oh, you mentioned the "residual functional capacity form" and that's actually a specific SSA thing so I get the frustration. But just a heads up, the $50 fee to release it sounds high but it's pretty standard, doctors can charge for copying records under HIPAA rules (though some states cap it lower). The real issue is the three month wait though, which is insane for a checkbox form. My doctor's office told me these forms get buried because they're not urgent medical stuff, so I started booking a "form appointment" with the nurse who just sits with me to fill it out right there.

the_mary26d ago

That lines up with what I read from a disability lawyer's blog, they said these forms are the absolute lowest priority in a doctor's office because they're not billing for them (which explains the wait). The "form appointment" tip is genius, I'm gonna try that next time since apparently you have to force your way into the system.