What Type of Doctor Should I Be Treating With in Order to Claim Disability Benefits?
3 Video Views·Jun 20, 2026
Disability insurance attorney Gregory Dell discusses what type of doctor a claimant should be treating with in order to receive long term disability insurance benefits.
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Video Summary
AI GeneratedWhile any medical doctor can provide treatment for a long-term disability claim, it is highly recommended to be treated by a specialist in the field related to your specific condition. Specialist documentation significantly improves the likelihood of claim approval and continued payment.
Disability claimants often call us and ask us what type of doctor they should
be treating with in order to seek long-term disability benefits. And the
answer to this question is really that you can treat with just about any type
of medical doctor for your claim for long-term disability benefits. However,
you really should have your main attending physician be a specialist in
the field for which you have a disability. For example, let's assume that
you have a neck disorder or a back disorder. You should really be treating
with an orthopedic doctor who specializes in conditions of the spine.
Another example, if you have a heart condition, you should have a cardiologist
as at least one of your doctors to complete your attending physician
statement which has to be sent to the long-term disability carrier in order to
meet your burden of proving disability. So, the answer is yes, an internal medicine
doctor or general practitioner doctor would be acceptable. However, if you're
claiming some type of orthopedic, cardiac, or some type of other part of
the body for which there are doctors that specialize, you should see a
specialist as that would give you a lot better chance of getting your long-term
disability benefits approved and continue to be paid.