The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) will review your application to make sure you meet some basic requirements for Social Security disability benefits and evaluate any current work activities. If you meet these requirements, Social Security will send your application to the Disability Determination Services (“DDS”) office in your state.
The DDS is a state agency that completes the disability determination for the SSA. Doctors and disability specialists at the state agency may ask your doctors for information about your condition. They will consider all the facts in your case. They will use medical evidence from your doctors, hospitals, clinics, or institutions where you have been treated and all other information. They will ask your doctors:
- What your medical condition is,
- When your medical condition began,
- How does your medical condition limit your activities,
- What the medical tests have shown; and
- What treatment have you received?
They also will ask the doctors for information about your ability to do work-related activities, such as walking, sitting, lifting, carrying, and remembering instructions. Your doctors are not asked to decide if you are disabled.
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The state agency staff may need more medical information before deciding if you are disabled. If more information is unavailable from your current medical sources, the state agency may ask you to attend a medical examination. Social Security prefers to ask your doctor, but sometimes the exam may have to be done by someone else. Social Security will pay for the exam and some of the related travel costs.
