{"id":3399,"date":"2020-07-16T14:47:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T14:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nolfinal.wpengine.com\/?page_id=3399"},"modified":"2024-02-12T10:20:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T15:20:11","slug":"who-is-the-social-security-disability-examiner","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nickortizlaw.com\/ssd-faq\/who-is-the-social-security-disability-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is the Social Security Disability Examiner?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Social Security Disability<\/a> claims examiners make the initial decision on an applicant\u2019s medical eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI or SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims. In Florida, disability claims examiners work at the state agency called Disability Determination Services<\/a>, or DDS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the Federal Government fully funds DDS, it is still a State agency responsible for developing medical evidence and issuing the initial determination as to whether the claimant is disabled under the law. Given the size of the State of Florida, our DDS office has several hundred disability examiners. The following provides a basic outline of what the DDS claims examiner does in evaluating a claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, the disability examiner gathers all your medical records and reviews any additional information from you, your representative, or your doctor. In other words, the DDS first tries to obtain evidence from the claimant\u2019s medical sources. In the alternative, the disability examiner may schedule you for a consultative examination (CE)<\/a> under any of the following circumstances:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The claimant\u2019s treating provider is the preferred source for the CE; however, the DDS may also obtain the CE from an independent source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The disability examiner should maintain contact with you to coordinate the proper gathering of medical evidence in your claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The disability examiner will then gather together your:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After completing its initial development, the DDS makes the disability determination. The determination is made by a two-person adjudicative team consisting of a medical or psychological consultant and a disability examiner. If the adjudicative team finds that additional evidence is still needed, the consultant or examiner may contact a medical source(s) and ask for additional\/supplemental information. The DDS also decides whether the claimant is a candidate for vocational rehabilitation (VR). If so, the DDS makes a referral to the State VR agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases, the disability examiner completes a medical decision write-up for the state disability physician to review. In writing the medical decision, the examiner will discuss whether your impairment meets the requirements of a disability Listing of Impairment<\/a>, and if not, whether your residual functional capacity (RFC)<\/a> is enough to allow you to work any other type of job. The medical consultant, or unit physician, is typically called upon to develop the RFC, but it does not always happen that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Social Security Disability Examiner Evaluates Your Claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gathering Medical Evidence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Adding Vocational Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Making the Disability Determination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n