Disability Determination Services

In the United Sates, Disability Determination Services (DDS) are state funded agencies which determine the eligibility of disabled persons in obtaining social security benefits. Such benefits include the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Applicants file their applications in the local Social Security offices. Once applications are received by the field offices, they are sent to the DDS of the state where the applicant is currently residing. There, the applications are assessed whether the applicant is eligible for disability benefits. When the application is granted by the DDS, it is forwarded to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for the formal processing. Thus, DDS serves as the filter of the Social Security Administration.

The methods used in determining the applicant’s eligibility for disability benefits include the personal statement of the applicant, the medical records of the applicant with the opinion of the doctors as to their condition and extent of disability, and the study or surveillance permitted by law on how the applicant lives his life with his disabilities.

Personal statements are requested from the applicant. These statements should provide the description of the disability, the conditions that affect the disability, and the effects of the disability in their daily life. Aside from these, a questionnaire is also sent to the applicant. It contains inquiries about the activities they perform prior to his disability, and how the disability affects such activities. The applicant’s statements, while not the sole determining factor for the approval of the benefit, weigh more when coupled with medical records of the condition. This will establish the impact of the disability on the applicant’s earning capacity.

Medical records are also important since they serve as sources of impartial information regarding the condition of the applicant. These records come from the doctors dealing with the applicant. In some instances, DDS requires the applicant to be assessed by more than one doctor so as to ensure the reliability of the findings. This is because some doctors tend to make their findings favourable to the applicant so that they themselves can benefit from the allowance the applicant may get. Thus, the application is more likely to be approved with several doctors, affirming the findings of disability and its effects in the daily life of the applicant.

Another method used in determining the applicant’s eligibility is the study or surveillance done by the agents of DDS on the applicant’s private life. This study or surveillance is governed by the laws which protect the rights of private individuals. Persons related to the applicant are also asked regarding the latter’s disability. These methods are resorted to in order to compare the statements made by the applicant and the medical findings on him as they are observed in his everyday tasks.

The grant of benefits stems from the evidences of eligibility compiled by the DDS. The capabilities of the applicant prior to his disability are compared with his capabilities after such disability. Aside form this, the availability of work with his current capabilities are also taken into consideration. Thus, every applicant is assessed according to his own circumstances and not just by the simple fact that he is disabled.