SSDRC




What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI?

How do you Win Benefits under Social Security Disability or SSI?

If I am determined disabled, how far back will Social Security pay benefits?

How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition?

What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits

Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits

How to File for Disability - Tips for Filing

If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare?

How much does a Social Security disability attorney get paid?

Social Security Disability SSI Criteria and the Evaluation Process

How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability?

What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability SSI and Fibromyalgia

Social Security Disability SSI and Degenerative Disc Disease

Can I Qualify For Disability and Receive Benefits based on Depression?

Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability

What Disabilities Qualify for SSI and Social Security Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability Status

Social Security Disability Tips — how a claim gets worked on

Social Security Disability, SSI Disability - Terms, Definitions, Concepts


The Social Security Disability Doctor Appointment is Called a CE


How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

 
Some people who apply for Social Security Disability are required to attend a Social Security medical examination called a consultative exam (CE).

The CE is typically needed in cases in which the claimant has no recent medical records that document his current state of health. Social Security defines “recent” as within the past 60 days, so those who have not have not seen a physician for their impairment within this time frame will probably be sent for a CE. However, it’s important to note that a disability examiner can send a claimant for a CE at any time the examiner feels he needs more information, or more clarification regarding the limitations imposed by an impairment.

Unfortunately, a CE is very unlikely to provide the examiner with any information other than the claimant’s supposed state of health at the exact moment of the exam. Social Security medical exams are carried out by private physicians with their own practice, the thought being that such individuals will be unbiased in their opinions. And yet, this is not always the case, as many people who have attended CEs have reported that the physician was both rude and dismissive. If you attend a CE and find that you are treated badly, you should report this to the disability examiner who sent you, though the likelihood of such a complaint changing the outcome of your case is slim at best.

CEs are generally performed for one purpose and one purpose only: to allow a disability examiner to close a case. Disability examiners cannot close cases without recent medical evidence. These exams are a mere formality in that they allow the examiner to get the medical evidence needed, even though it is highly improbable that the findings of a CE will alter the examiner’s disability decision in any way. Indeed, in most cases the examiner has already formed an opinion well in advance of the CE, and is just looking to dot all the i’s and t’s before composing his synopsis and getting the file off his desk.

CEs are usually pretty brief—-10 to 15 minutes is the average. They are sometimes not even performed by a doctor who specializes in treating the claimant’s particular impairment. For instance, a urologist or gynecologist could be the one evaluating a case of spinal stenosis, diabetic neuropathy, seizure disorder, etc.

Sound ridiculous? Well, ideally it won’t matter much, at least not to SSD/SSI applicants with a history of documented medical treatment for their impairment(s). If it’s true that a CE won’t help your case much, it’s also fair to say that it won’t hurt it much, and certainly won’t overrule all of the other medical evidence in your file.

If you are sent for a CE, it is well worth your time to attend; in fact, failure to attend a CE or multiple CEs could be a basis for dismissal of your claim, regardless of your level of impairment.














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Individual Questions and Answers


  • How do you Win Benefits under Social Security Disability?

  • Is there an income limit to be under when you apply for disability?

  • How to qualify for disability - The Process of Qualifying for Benefits

  • Social Security Disability Doctor, Supportive Statements

  • Will I Get SSI or SSD Disability With a Ruptured Disc?

  • Applying for disability benefits in Georgia

  • What Are the Chances of Winning an SSA Disability Appeal?

  • Application Requirements For Disability - What Do I Need To Start The Claim?

  • How to Claim Disability When you Have a Medical Problem

  • Can You Lose Your Social Security Disability Benefits When Your Case Is Reviewed?

  • Is getting social security disability easier for mental or physical problems?

  • How is SSI different from Social Security Disability?

  • Is There Social Security Disability For Children?

  • The Social Security Disability Hearing Office

  • Making a Request for a Disability Hearing

  • Denied For Social Security Disability Because I Can Work -- What are my Options?

  • What medical conditions can you apply for disability for ?

  • Disability Lawyer Success Rate - Do Lawyers Improve The Chances of Winning?

  • Do you get medical healthcare benefits with Social Security disability ?

  • Does Social Security Depend on Your Illness or the kind of Work that You Did?

  • Are children eligible to receive disability benefits ?

  • If you are Denied for Disability, Should you File a new Application or File an Appeal of the Denial?

  • Is it hard to qualify for Social Security benefits if you have depression ?

  • Filing Disability Appeals- Reminders About the SSD, SSI Appeal Process

  • Social Security Disability and SSI Disability Benefits

  • Will Social Security Deny You Disability Without Looking At Your Medical Records?

  • How Does Social Security Decide How Much I Get For Disability?

  • Why do social security disability and ssi overpayments happen ?

  • How does the Social Security Disability Appeal Process work?

  • How long does it take to get an SSI decision ?

  • I Need To Apply For SSI or SSD But I Do Not Know Where to Start?

  • SSI Benefits - who is Eligible and How do I apply for them?

  • How does work qualify you for social security disability ?

  • Social Security Disability Fee and What a Lawyer is Paid

  • How much does Social Security Disability or SSI pay?

  • Will my disability case be reviewed after I have been approved for disability benefits?

  • How Do I Apply For Disability- What Is The First Step?

  • How Long Does It Take To Get SSDI If You Have To Appeal?

  • Does the Social Security Administration use experts for determining disability?

  • How Often Does Social Security Disability Review Cases?

  • Are you allowed to work at all if you get Social Security disability or SSI ?

  • Does Social Security Disability Always Have To Look At Your Job History?

  • How do you apply for disability if you have depression problems ?

  • Social Security Attorneys and What they do for you

  • Who is The Doctor for a Social Security Disability Claim or SSI Case?

  • Should I be Represented by a Disability Lawyer or a Non-Specialized Disability Attorney?

  • The Request for a Disability Hearing with Social Security

  • What are the Requirements for Social Security Disability and SSI?

  • How Can I Get Social Security Disability If I Have Not Worked For A Long Time?

  • Is there a trick to qualifying for disability benefits with social security?

  • Social Security Disability Hearings - What is the ALJ

  • How do I File and Apply for Social Security Disability or SSI?

  • Does Social Security Like Current Medical Records?

  • What is the process for approving a Social Security disability claim ?

  • Chronic Fatigue, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

  • How does the Social Security Disability Review work?

  • Will Social Security Follow The Opinion Of my Doctor And Approve My Disability Claim?

  • Can You Work While You Appeal Your Social Security Disability Decision?

  • Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Nevada

  • Where do you call to get the status of your Social Security Disability or SSI Claim?

  • How Disabled Does One Have To Be To Collect Disability?

  • Case Status - Will a person who files for Disability known how their case is Proceeding?
























    SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

    The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

    Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

    Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

    Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

    Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials