VA doctors and SSDI claims.

There is good news for veterans who have had difficulty getting their VA medical providers to provide medical evidence for their Social Security disability claims. According to the NOSSCR Forum dated December 2008 there is a new VHA directive 2008-071. This directive makes it clear that VA medical providers are required to provide veterans with completed medical forms for non-VA issues. This is particularly helpful for veterans who are treated at VA facilities and are applying for Social Security Disability benefits. For years, many veterans and lawyers working for them on their Social Security disability claims have had difficulty getting medical evidence and opinions from VA hospital physicians. This directive should make it easier for veterans applying for Social Security disability benefits to be able to get medical forms filled out by their doctors that could help their claims for SSDI. I personally can attest to the difficulty in getting VA doctors to fill out forms for Social Security disability claims and I hope this new directive will assist our nation's veterans in obtaining the evidence they need to win their disability claims.