Social Security Adult Listing 1.04A is often met for claimants with severe back pain, when there is an MRI or CT scan showing impingement of the nerve root or spinal cord. The practical difficulty with the listing is that the other findings necessary to meet the listing, such as a positive straight leg raising test or muscle weakness, are not necessarily documented in the medical record.
It is very frustrating to have the telltale MRI in hand but not meet the listing due to the lack of documentation of the other criteria of the listing. Further, a treating doctor's opinion that the listing is met is routinely disregarded at DDS, since the finding of a listing being met is reserved to the Commissioner. What you need is findings that all the components of the listing are met, somewhere in the medical records where they can be found.
So I have developed a Listing 1.04A_worksheet. The worksheet contains all the components of the listing. I give the worksheet to the patient to take to the next doctor visit. The doctor completes the worksheet right then, and (hopefully) also enters the requisite findings into the progress notes. When I submit the worksheet and the progress notes and the MRI to Social Securitiy, the listing should be met.
I'll let you know how it works.
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