Documenting Chronic Medical and Health Disabilities

These guidelines apply to students who have chronic disabilities in the following areas:

Mobility — such as use of a wheelchair, crutches, cane, or impaired hand coordination
Systemic — includes chronic illnesses or conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy
Acquired Brain Injury — affecting processing speed, memory, communication, motor, sensory, physical, and/or psychosocial abilities

Students requesting accommodations for a disability listed above are asked to submit documentation that meets the guidelines listed below. In addition, individuals with acquired brain injury may need to submit a psycho-educational test battery, as referenced in the documentation guidelines for learning disabilities.

A Qualified Evaluator. Professionals conducting assessments, rendering a medical diagnosis, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so. These are physicians, including licensed M.D.s and D.O.s. Documentation must meet the following criteria:
- include the name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator
- be presented on the professional's letterhead, typed, dated, signed, and legible, and
- the evaluator may not be a family member.
Current Documentation. Reasonable accommodations are based on the current impact of a disability. Therefore, it is critical that medical documentation describe an individual's current level of functioning and need for accommodations. A full report from a treating healthcare professional completed within the past 12 months is considered current, unless the condition is permanent/unchanging. The documentation may need to be updated annually so that we can best accommodate the student.
Comprehensive Documentation. Medical disabilities encompass a myriad of conditions. In addition, medical conditions are often changeable in nature, and sometimes difficult to categorize. Documentation must therefore be thorough, giving a full picture of the individual, not simply a diagnosis. A diagnosis alone is not a basis for accommodation. Documentation must include:
- A Discussion of:
  - a history of presenting symptoms and relevant medical history
  - description of current impairment
  - a summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments/reports used
  - diagnosis duration and severity of the disorder
  - treatment and medication history, including medication side effects
  - if applicable, documentation of assistive device and technology used, with estimated effectiveness; this would include a history of any disability-related accommodation(s)
  - status of the individual's condition — static, improving, or degrading
  - expected progression of the condition over time
- A clear diagnosis of medical disability must be rendered including:
  - clear statement of diagnosis, the subtype if applicable, with ICD-10 code
  - the diagnostic criteria on which the diagnosis is based
  - CANNOT INCLUDE wording such as "seems to indicate" or "suggests"
- The current functional limitations — the ways that the diagnosed disability substantially limits the student in major life activity — of the individual in an academic environment
- Appropriate and specific recommendations for accommodation in an academic environment, accompanied by clear rationale supported by interview, observation, and/or testing
Supporting Documentation. The qualified physician's report, while necessary, is by no means the only documentation we can use to better understand and accommodate the studentwith a chronic mental/health disability. Other helpful documents include:
- reports of previous accommodation,
- high school 504 plans or IEPs,
- previous medical evaluations,
- report cards,
- transcripts, and
- parent, teacher, tutor, or employer records. Disability Support Services (DSS) reserves the right to access student transcripts (e.g. classes taken and grades earned at MSU Texas) for evaluation purposes.