I am excited to announce that I will be making a joint presentation with Dr. Rochelle Mozlin, an optometrist, at the annual conference of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) on Wednesday, October 13.

Dr. Mozlin and I are presenting a joint poster entitled “Social Security Disability: Understanding and Navigating this Medical-Legal Quagmire.” The poster outlines the medical requirements for a legal finding of disability for claimants with visual impairments, and advises optometrists as to what information should be in reports and evaluations in order to best support their patient’s claim and enable the adjudicators to make a favorable determination of disability.

COVD is a non-profit, international membership association of eye care professionals that provides board certification for eye doctors and vision therapists who are prepared to offer state-of-the-art services in Behavioral and developmental vision care, Vision therapy and Visual rehabilitation. These specialized vision care services develop and enhance visual abilities and correct many vision problems in infants, children, and adults. A poster session is typical at academic conferences, and will contain the research and efforts of dozens of presenters. Dr. Mozlin and I will be available to answer questions regarding the poster and the entire topic as the doctors pass through the room in which all the posters are displayed and their presenters await.

The lawyers at Hermann Law Group frequently make presentations to lay and professional groups, but we have never had the opportunity before to explain to such a large group of medical providers what should or should not be in their reports to best help their disabled patients. We have found that most medical professionals DO care about their patients’ disability claims, but are often unaware of what would be the best way to assist them. Simply stating “my patient is disabled and cannot work” is not going to help a determination of legal disability. The field of vision loss is especially complicated, and the poster we are presenting will point out the best practices proving disability based on visual impairments.

Lew Insler