All tools · Medical Records Request

How to request medical records for a Social Security disability claim

Use the free tool — Medical Records Request

Your right to get your records

Federal law gives you the right to a copy of your medical records. The provider usually has 30 days to send them, with one possible 30-day extension if they notify you in writing (HHS — Your right to access your health information). You can ask for an electronic copy if the provider keeps electronic records. You can also state, in a signed written request, that the copy be sent straight to a third party — useful if you want records to go directly into your disability file.

What they can charge

The fee can only be cost-based — copying labor, supplies, and postage. It cannot include the time spent searching for or pulling the records (HHS — Right of access fees, 45 C.F.R. 164.524(c)(4)). For an electronic copy of records already kept electronically, HHS allows a flat $6.50 option. They cannot withhold your records because you owe money on a bill. Psychotherapy notes and certain legal materials are excepted from this right.

Florida adds its own rules

• Fla. Stat. 456.057 requires Florida-licensed practitioners to furnish copies on request; the licensing board sets the allowed fee — check the board's current rule before you pay.
• Fla. Stat. 395.3025 covers hospital records.
• When the federal rule and the Florida rule differ, the one that favors you applies.

Who can ask

You can request your own records. So can a parent for a minor child (with some limits), a health-care surrogate or agent under a health-care power of attorney, or a personal representative of a deceased patient's estate, or certain next of kin qualifying under Fla. Stat. 456.057. If you're asking on someone else's behalf, attach proof of your authority — the power of attorney or estate paperwork. This guide does not judge whether you personally qualify beyond these categories; ask a professional or the agency if you're not sure.

For a Social Security disability claim

Ask for the exact records and date range that cover your condition, and ask for them to be sent to you or, in a signed written request, directly to Social Security. Note: SSA may also request records directly from your provider at no cost to you — give SSA your full list of providers so they can request records in parallel with your own request. Your letter should include:

• The date, your name, date of birth, and identifiers
• The exact records and date range
• The format you want (electronic, portal, paper) and where to send it
• A citation to 45 C.F.R. 164.524 and Fla. Stat. 456.057
• A request for the fee in advance, if any
• A request for written acknowledgment
• The 30-day date you expect a response

If they stall or overcharge

Send a dated second letter. If that doesn't work, contact the provider's privacy officer. If you still get nowhere, you can file a free complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights within 180 days, and in Florida, licensed providers can also be reported to the Florida Department of Health (HHS OCR — File a complaint). Don't threaten a lawsuit — use the complaint process instead.

What to do next

The free tool reads what you type — which records, from whom, for what, and who you are — and gives you the exact letter, the address to send it to, the 30-day deadline, and the fee rule that applies. Nothing you type is stored. This is not legal, medical, or tax advice. Confirm fee amounts with the Florida licensing board and your rights with HHS OCR before you rely on any of this.

Medical Records Request explains the HIPAA right of access and Florida records law in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. It does not interpret medical content. Nothing you paste is stored.