Why you should “just say no”

We here at Scott Davis, P.C. have noticed a rather troubling trend with our clients as of late. More and more people are showing up with substance abuse in their medical records (see my post “Your doctor knows more than you Think”). Most people think of substance abuse as just street drugs, but this can include alcohol abuse, and even prescription drug abuse. This is wrong on several levels, but to keep this post shorter than the tax code (and to avoid sounding too much like Mom), I’ll keep this simple: if any person making a decision on your claim deems drug and/or alcohol use a material factor in why you are unable to work they are bound by law to deny your claim.

Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? But we deal with a lot of people who are in chronic, debilitating pain, and would do just about anything to get some kind of relief. Sound familiar now? The best way to avoid the situation is to stay clean and take your medication as prescribed. If, however, you have some skeletons in your closet (or medical records), you need to get clean NOW. Get sober and get some clean drug tests. It will be up to you to prove to Social Security that substance abuse is not the reason you can’t work. If you need help finding a rehab or drug testing facility, please don’t wait and call us right away.