In order to qualify for Social Security disability, you need to prove that you have a disabling condition that will prevent you from working for at least a year or that you have a fatal condition. Proving that this is the case may not be entirely easy in all situations. In fact, many people apply for Social Security disability, get denied and have to resubmit with more complete information for another review.

In some cases, if you have a clear diagnosis of one of the Social Security Administration’s pre-approved conditions, you can receive an automatic approval into the Social Security disability program. In other cases, if you don’t have a pre-approved condition, you’ll need to provide evidence and doctors notes explaining what your condition is, why it prevents you from doing your job and how long your disabled or fatal condition is likely to last.

Your doctor will play a vital role in your disability application no matter your situation, so it’s important that you let your doctor know the reason why you want a diagnosis. Many doctors are aware of the types of requirements you’ll need to satisfy for a disability determination, but if you’re running into difficulty with the information provided by your doctor, you might want to speak to another one — perhaps a doctor recommended by your disability attorney.

If your doctor can provide evidence that you’re suffering from a pre-approved condition, this will excellent for your situation. No one will ever know for sure whether your Social Security disability claim will succeed until after it goes through the process and gets approved or denied; however, if your doctor is willing to work with you to help show Social Security that you are, indeed, disabled, then you’ll have a much better chance of achieving your goals.