You Can Help Us Enhance Our Disability Process
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: March 24, 2016
As a part of our commitment to bring you world-class services, Social Security is looking for ways to improve how we develop and evaluate medical evidence relating to severe limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence. The Social Security Act sets out a strict definition of disability. Our agency pays benefits to eligible people who can’t work because of a disabling mental or physical condition expected to last at least one year or result in death. This medical condition must prevent the person from doing not only their previous work, but also any other substantial work in the national economy.
Gathering and assessing medical evidence is a key part of how we make our decisions. On Wednesday, March 30, we will host our next National Disability Forum, Developing and Assessing Medical Evidence for Extreme Limitations in the Ability to Focus on Tasks.
The discussion will focus on the level of severity at which impairment-related limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence can prevent people from working. For example, at what point does the inability to focus cause enough ‘off task’ behavior that someone would be unable to do any job in the national economy? What are employer expectations around productivity and reasonable accommodations for affected people? Are there standard tests for assessing and evaluating these ailments, and who should be consulted to evaluate a person’s capacity to focus on job-related tasks?
Your input will help us further enhance our disability determination process. You can share your ideas about how our disability determination process can better serve individuals with extreme limitations in attention, concentration, and persistence on our IdeaScale page or by commenting below.
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About the Author
Gina Clemons, Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Gina Clemons, Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Comments
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tony
The test of serial seven is not enough. Another test method would be stacking three wooden building block where they don’t fall over. That will simulate a working environment filling items on selves without them falling over.
tony
The SSA won’t pay for certain testing. An old friend of mine paid off some doctor for phony test results and got approved. Since the CE doctor can’t perform the test, they can only go by the phony test results.
Angela
When someone is proven to be permanently disabled, there should instantly be no review. I should be on the 5-7 yr not the 3-5 just because I am young. The medical board meeds to be more knowledgeable about neuromuscular disorders like Generalized Dystonia & autoimmune issues.
DisabledSupporter
Angela, you are so right. SSA should be more considerate of the disabled with their ridiculous Continuing Disability Reviews (CDR).
CDR’s are not only extremely stressful on the disabled, making more paperwork to push, but often can cause anxiety and stress because SSA tries to do them behind closed doors and leaves the disabled person out of the input.
SSA will often sit on CDR’s for months, stressing out the disabled person, while SSA tries to find reasons to kick the individual off the program. It’s very frightening how SSA conducts these things and extremely inconsiderate of the disabled persons feelings and needs.
tony
A lazy person would also show the same signs of concentration, persistence, and pace.
Failure to complete task on time, asking other to do their work, low production level, and resistance to changes.
tony
Simple, low stress, low production, no constant change, occasional supervision, no coworker contact, no general public contact, unskilled sedentary work pays close to minimum wage.
There are plenty of these jobs in the national economy because no one wants these jobs and employers are willing to hire anyone just to fill the position.
They young people could aways get a job in military. The militry is not to picky since no one wants to join. I was written up for dereliction of duty in the military. Failed all my test to the point where they told me that I could have guess the test and gotten more correct. Instead of just kicking me out, they offered me a job in the Reserve which I declined.
B
Your family must be proud
tony
The SSA is giving away the free disability income. It wasn’t hard to get approved. I never seen a psychiatrist/psychologist for treatment or take any medication. I got approved for mental illness with just a CE exam.
My ALJ only approved 26% of her cases at the time I got approved. Now she is down to 24%. Her ODAR office average is 43%. The other ALJs are just giving aways the free disability income.
All the ODAR office should be averaging similar to Alaska ODAR. They do things correct there.
PGTG
1117 days. So far. Waiting for a decision on disability. 2 appeals despite testimony from world-renowned doctors as well as from SSA-appointed experts.
Now, I have to go in front of a judge (who doesn’t know me) who will be relying on a “vocational expert” (whose only experience is in “mediation” yet is still considered a consultant for the SSA for vocational disability).
So, I suppose that the judge will ask a question of the so-called expert, the expert will rattle his head up-and-down like a happy dog, and I expect to be denied again.
This will probably result in yet another 1000+ days of waiting.
Best in the world?! How about best in the world for bloating bureaucracy and worst in the world for service.
DisabledSupporter
It’s sad cases like yours are so common in this agency. Where SSA just slops around and kicks the can down the road hoping the disabled person will just die off or go away. SSA really needs to spend time cleaning house and getting rid of employee’s who slow down and frustrate the disabled persons right to the benefits they are entitled to.
I hope and pray you not only win, but get to sue the living snot out of the SSA for such sloppiness and careless behavior towards getting you the benefits you desperately need and deserve, and more so, are entitled to.
Rick
I have been battling ssa for 4 years and my observations are that the people that work there are not trained at all. When I was done reading the web site rules and regulations I was able to tell them what the rules are. Also in the district offices there is an unwritten rule that no matter what the first application is always denied.Need to get rid of upper management, train the personnel.
DisabledSupporter
Rick, you make an excellent case against the “DDS” system. SSA has a policy of sending all applications to “state agencies” to process. The problem is these individuals are often untrained, show no respect to the disabled, and worse, when the claim finally comes out of these “DDS'” denied, it looks like some slop a 3rd grader shoved together the night before it’s due.
And as you mention, the ALJ level with ODAR’s and the Appeals Counsel is often not any better, and more pitiful, ALJ’s often want 30-90 days to write a decision. That is way, way too long for a disabled person to wait to know if they need to file a suit against the SSA to secure their benefits they are entitled to. This after they have waited years to even get there. Deplorable.
We need more accountability against SSA when it comes to processing and paying claims, than a seriously broken administrative process that falls apart often and then says “well, it happens” when they messed up really bad and leave a qualified disabled person with out benefits, or the ability to fairly fight for them.
tony
I am actually receiving disability for mental illness dues to all the loopholes in the system. I never even seen a psychiatrist/psychologist or went for any type of treatment or take any medication. I was sent to a CE exam and got approved with just a CE exam.
May
That’s not a loophole. That’s corrupt and what is wrong with the ssdi system. A CE has the power to decide if you are disabled with one appointment when others have years and years of therapy and medications to try to get well. That’s Bs.
tony
The lazy people are better at getting approved for mental illness especially for depression and anxiety. They read all about the symptoms of depression and anxiety. The more symptoms you complain about, the diagnosis becomes more severe. Then they frequently visit the psychiatrist/psychologist office complaining about the same symptoms over and over every month. They throw the medication in the trash and say to the psychiatrist that they have been taking the medication every day but it doesn’t help.
The SSA will usually approve these lazy people because they show all the symptoms and have the medical records to back it up.
DisabledSupporter
This comment is incredibly disrespectful and offensive to those with mental impairments. It’s hate speech like this SSA likes to hang it’s hat on when it attacks a person with mental impairments and is disgusting and recently resulted in several deaths in Kentucky after SSA pulled that crapped on truly disabled individuals.
SSA should NEVER treat a person with mental impairments different than persons with physical disabilities. Sadly, SSA does so everyday and doesn’t’ bat an eyelash at it.
May
You make it sound so easy. I can’t seem to get any help with a history of mental illness for over 30 years with therapy notes, hospitalizations, medication and a doctor saying I am unable to work. If the “lazy people” you speak of are pulling this off then I guess they are pretty good at fooling the system.