NURSE PRACTITIONERS NOT RECOGNIZED BY SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security requires objective medical evidence to prove your disability. And they define what is an acceptable medical source (who they accept evidence from). 20 CFR 404.1527. Nurse practitioners and chiropractors are not on the approved list at Social Security.
On March 27, 2017, Social Security issued a new ruling which expanded the list of acceptable medical sources. Licensed physician's assistants (PA) were added. Nurse practitioners were not added.
The bottom line is, if you see a nurse practitioner for most of your healthcare, Social Security will not pay much attention to those records. They cannot be used to establish the presence of a severe, disabling impairment unless there are collaborating records from a licensed medical doctor (MD or OD).
I in no way wish to imply that nurse practitioners do not provide adequate medical care, only that they are not recognized by Social Security regulations. The quality of their care is really a non-issue in Social Security claims.
If you go to a clinic or doctor's office where you usually see a nurse practitioner, here is what I recommend. In Alabama, nurse practitioners are required to be under the supervision of a licensed medical doctor. Request that the medical doctor examine you at least twice a year. Also, request that the doctor add his name to your medical records and, if possible, sign off on each visit to the nurse practitioner. If you have that clinic to complete any special forms for your disability claim (such as a medical source statement), try to have the doctor sign the form.
Since nurse practitioners usually charge the same fee as a medical doctor, I see very little value in not seeing a doctor to begin with. You may live in a rural area with very few available doctors. That's well and good until it comes time to file a Social Security disability claim. Then, you may have problems.
A lot of the claimants who come to my office really don't know the difference between a nurse practitioner and a doctor. In fact, some of them see a nurse practitioner and think they are seeing a doctor. They refer to them as Doctor Kathy or Doctor Tom and seem to have no idea that they are not doctors.
Some clients seem to think they can shrug off Social Security's rules. They often tell me, "I've been seeing Doctor Betty for 15 years and she has helped me more than any doctor." That may be true. However, it does not change the rules or regulations of the US Social Security Administration.