Process of Disability Claims Evaluation

All claims for disability benefits undergo serious evaluation conducted by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to determine whether a claimant is eligible to receive financial assistance from the government.

Implementing this process is vital because Social Security has a different definition of the term "disability" compared to other programs. The agency only pays for complete or total disability and does not provide benefits to people who are suffering from short-term or partial disability.

Social Security uses an individual's ability to work as a way of determining if he or she is actually disabled. An applicant will be viewed as disabled if:

• The person cannot do the work he or she did before

• The disability suffered by the applicant has lasted or is anticipated to last for at least a year or may cause his or her death

• Social Security decided that the applicant is not capable of adjusting to other kinds of work due to his or her medical condition

Social Security strictly follows its own definition of disability whenever it evaluates an individual's claim. The agency's program rules presume that working families can use money obtained from other sources to support their loved one during the time wherein he or she is suffering from a disability.

Overview of DDS Disability Claims Evaluation

Almost all Social Security disability claims are primarily assessed through a network of SSA's local field offices and state agencies, which are often called as Disability Determination Services (DDS).

A DDS, which receives funds from the federal government, is a division responsible in evaluating disability claims for benefits under Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs. DDS makes prompt and accurate decision regarding an individual's disability through the following:

• Consultative evaluation

• Medical criteria

• Vocational criteria

• Continuing disability review

• Psychological and medical evidence

The different DDS's are state agencies that develop medical evidence and deliver the primary determination on whether a person is actually blind or disabled under the law.

DDS often tries to get pieces of evidence from the applicant's own medical sources at first. If the evidence gathered is unable or is not enough to come up with a determination, DDS will then organize for a Consultative Examination (CE). The purpose of having a CE is to get the additional facts that are needed. Although the applicant's treating source is a favored CE source, the division may still obtain it from other independent sources.

After the all the pieces of evidence were gathered and developed, a primary disability determination will be then made by a DDS trained staff member. If the division recognized the applicant as disabled, he or she will start receiving disability benefits as soon as certain legal processes are completed. Meanwhile, people with unsuccessful disability claims are given the right to make an appeal if they think that the DDS's decision is inaccurate.

To provide you with more information regarding disability claims, consult with our skilled disability lawyers. Visit our website and dial our toll free number.