Medical Authorization Forms for Disability Insurance
Author: Disability Attorneys Dell & Schaefer
Published: 20 Sep 2010 - Updated: 11 Jan 2026
Publication Type: Informative
Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates - Related Publications
Synopsis: This information provides practical guidance from experienced disability attorneys on protecting claimants' privacy rights when dealing with insurance companies. The content proves particularly useful for individuals navigating long-term disability claims, as it reveals how authorization forms frequently extend beyond medical records to include financial documents, tax returns, employment history, driver's licenses, and credit reports - information that may have no direct bearing on a disability determination. The authors explain that claimants retain the right to modify these forms by crossing out unrelated requests, helping people with disabilities and chronic conditions avoid unnecessary disclosure of personal information while still complying with legitimate medical record requests from their insurers.*
Introduction
Do I Return the Medical Authorization Release Form to the Disability Insurance Company?
You need to be extremely careful in returning these medical authorization forms to the long-term disability carriers. The disability carriers have the right to obtain any of your medical records that they want.
Main Content
The problem is, and what I consider to be a trick is that they're looking to play on disability claimants, is that these medical authorization forms are not just "medical authorizations."
What they actually include in them, if you read them closely is they ask for all of your financial information, they ask for permission to speak with any of your employers, they ask for tax records, they'll ask for any kind of employment records, they'll ask for the right to pull your driver's license, and they'll also ask for the right to pull your credit report.
Many of these things have absolutely nothing to do with your long-term disability claim, and you do have the right to modify the medical authorization form should you desire to.
So I would encourage you to read your medical authorization form very closely and cross out anything that you do not want the long-term disability carrier to get.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: Understanding the scope of medical authorization forms represents a critical but often overlooked aspect of disability insurance claims management. While insurers maintain legitimate rights to review pertinent medical documentation, the broad language embedded in many standard authorization forms extends far beyond what's necessary for claim evaluation. Claimants who carefully review these documents before signing - and who exercise their right to limit authorizations to relevant medical information - maintain better control over their personal data without jeopardizing their claims. This becomes especially important given that unnecessary financial or employment disclosures can complicate claims processes or lead to disputes over unrelated matters, making informed consent a protective measure rather than an obstacle to receiving deserved benefits .* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.