How to Fax Form SSA-827 — Authorization to Release Medical Records to Social Security
Form SSA-827 is the consent that lets doctors, hospitals, and other sources release a claimant's medical and related records to the Social Security Administration and its state Disability Determination Services. It is a routine but pivotal step in a disability claim: without the signed authorization on file, the agency cannot gather the evidence it needs to decide the case. Providers and representatives often return the form by fax so the consent reaches the examiner handling the claim without the delay of postal mail.
Why this form is faxed
Disability claims move through Disability Determination Services on a schedule, and a missing SSA-827 can stall the record-gathering that a decision depends on. Faxing the signed authorization gets it to the assigned office quickly and produces a dated confirmation of delivery. Because the form controls the release of protected health information, a fixed faxed copy also fits how the agency and providers document who consented to disclose records and when.
Where it goes
The SSA-827 goes to the Social Security field office or the state Disability Determination Services unit working the specific claim — the correct fax number is the one printed on the request letter the claimant or provider received, or the one the assigned office provides directly. Confirm the destination with the office named on the request rather than a general number, since disability processing is handled regionally.
How to fax Form SSA-827 (Authorization to Disclose Information to the SSA)
- 1Complete the SSA-827 with the claimant's name, date of birth, and Social Security number as they appear on the claim
- 2Have the claimant (or an authorized representative) sign and date the authorization
- 3Confirm the destination fax number on the SSA or Disability Determination Services request letter tied to the claim
- 4Scan or export the signed form as a legible PDF, keeping every page together
- 5Upload the PDF to Send FAX Mail, enter the confirmed office fax number, and send
- 6Retain the confirmation as evidence of when the signed authorization was delivered
Handling sensitive information
The SSA-827 is a health-information release covering sensitive medical, psychological, and substance-use records, and it carries the claimant's Social Security number. Treat it as protected data: send it only to the office that requested it, at a number confirmed from that request, so a claimant's health history is not disclosed to an unintended recipient.
What’s current · as of July 2026
- HIPAA large-breach reporting threshold
- 500+ individuals — reported to HHS OCR without unreasonable delay Source: HHS Office for Civil Rights
- HIPAA documentation retention period
- 6 years from creation or last-effective date Source: HHS — HIPAA Administrative Requirements (45 CFR 164.316)
Recent updates
Federal interoperability rules keep pushing healthcare past the fax machine
CMS has advanced a series of interoperability rules that press hospitals, payers, and providers toward electronic data exchange and standardized claims attachments. The direction of travel is clear: paper and analog fax workflows are being replaced by digital transmission that carries an auditable record — which is exactly what a cloud fax with delivery confirmation provides for offices not yet on a full EHR pipeline.
CMS →Federal agencies still write fax into new rules and notices
The Federal Register — the daily journal of U.S. federal rulemaking — regularly publishes rules and notices that reference fax as an accepted or required submission channel for filings with agencies like the IRS, SSA, and CMS. That is why fax remains a live requirement for many official forms even as electronic portals expand.
Federal Register →Healthcare breach reporting keeps document handling under scrutiny
Ongoing reporting on HIPAA breaches and OCR settlements underscores how much scrutiny falls on how medical documents are stored, sent, and received. Sending records through a controlled, access-logged channel rather than an unmanaged machine reduces the mishandling risks that show up repeatedly in breach analyses.
HIPAA Journal →
Faxing Form SSA-827 (Authorization to Disclose Information to the SSA) — FAQ
The claimant whose records are being released signs and dates the authorization, or an appointed representative or legal guardian who has authority to act for them. The form has no effect until it is signed, so confirm the signature is present before sending it to the office handling the disability claim.
Send it to the Social Security field office or state Disability Determination Services unit that requested it — the fax number is on the request letter tied to the specific claim. Disability cases are worked regionally, so use the number the assigned office gave rather than a general Social Security number.
The agency cannot obtain a claimant's medical records from doctors and hospitals without written consent, and the SSA-827 is that consent. Returning it promptly lets the examiner start gathering the evidence a disability decision rests on, which is why providers often fax it the same day it is signed.
A provider's office can transmit the signed authorization once the claimant has completed and signed it, and faxing from a computer lets them do so without a machine while keeping a delivery record. Save the confirmation with the patient's file to show when the consent was sent to Social Security.
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