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Social Security Disability Claims and Medical ExamsIf you have ever participated in a disability medical exam (known as a consultative exam or CE), chances are you were less than impressed with the level of care you received. You may even have had the feeling that the doctor was merely going through the motions, and not all that sympathetic toward your condition. Unfortunately, if this was your impression, you may not have been that far off the mark. Before an examiner can close a case, he or she must have recent (in the last 60 days) medical information regarding your disability, and many of the physicians who perform CEs do not advocate for those filing for disability. Most disability consultative exams are scheduled, not to determine the state of the claimant’s health, but as a mere formality that must be satisfied before the examiner can close the case. So, if you haven’t seen a doctor recently, or if you haven’t ever been treated for your condition, your disability examiner will schedule a physical or psychological consultative exam (or both if applicable). A physical CE exam really offers very little to your case, and will never be used to support a claimant’s condition. In fact, in the rare instances in which the CE does support the disability claim, DDS will go to great lengths to discount or downplay the result. Of course, it’s only logical that a CE can’t be given the same weight as your entire medical history; it can only show your physical capabilities or strength at the time of the exam, and offers no real insight into your medical condition. So, is a consultative exam really nothing more than a sham? Well, the answer to that is, surprisingly, not necessarily. A CE can provide can provide a disability examiner with an up-to-date snapshot of important vital statistics—heart stress tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, etc., are often needed for the examiner to evaluate a claimant’s current medical condition. In addition, a psychological or psychiatric evaluation can be critical to those seeking disability benefits due to a mental impairment—many of these individuals have not received regular (if any) mental health care in the past, and the CE could be the only medical documentation or support available to the examiner working on their disability application or request for reconsideration. The most important thing to remember about a consultative exam is that it is a tool used to further the purposes of the social security disability agency (i.e., closing cases, denying claims) rather than those of the claimant (receiving benefits). The best thing to do is show up (failure to participate in the CE could be grounds for dismissal of your claim), and don’t worry about the results—they will not count carry near as much weight as your past medical history and the observations made by your regular treating physician or medical specialist. For more information on: Social Security Disability and SSI Disability.
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