Don’t Miss Your Social Security Medical Exam Appointment

It is not uncommon for social security to schedule a disability claimant for a social security medical exam, or consultative exam. The doctors who perform these exams are in private practice and are not employees of the social security administration, although the SSA does pay the bill. Consultative exams are usually quite brief (most last no more than 15 minutes) and have little influence on a disability examiner’s final decision.

However, if you miss your appointment for a social security medical exam, a decision in your case will most certainly be delayed, and repeated no-shows are grounds for a disability examiner to deny benefits altogether based on a claimant’s “non-compliance.” Of course, if you have a good reason for missing your exam it can be rescheduled, but putting it off indefinitely is not an option, and missing these appointments only hurts your chances of approval.

It makes no difference if your claim is filed under social security disability (SSD) or supplemental security income (SSI), nor does it matter if your impairment is physical or mental; a disability examiner may require a consultative exam at any time, and even if you feel it is unnecessary, you must attend.

Why do disability examiners ask for consultative exams? Typically claimants are scheduled for consultative exams if they have something lacking in their medical records. Some people file for disability claiming to suffer from conditions for which they have never received any medical diagnosis or treatment. Others may have quite a lot of medical records in their file, but none that are current (dated within the past 2 to 3 months). Still others may have records that list symptoms or a diagnosis, but no real explanation as to how these affect their ability to function; i.e., perform work.

A disability examiner will schedule a consultative exam to address any gaps in a claimant’s medical records, because without recent medical information regarding the claimant’s current condition, no decision can be made. Some people have pointed out that consultative examinations offer little in the way of a real “objective” opinion regarding impairment, because they are so brief and are often performed by doctors who do not specialize in treating the medical condition in question. One newspaper even reported that a man with back trouble was sent to a social security medical exam only to find it would be performed by a gynecologist—stories like these support what many claimants and people who work in the disability system have said, which is that a consultative exam is no more than a formality that must be satisfied in order to close a case.

Still, if you are scheduled for a social security medical exam, do not miss your appointment unless you have a valid explanation. Acceptable reasons, such as car trouble, getting directions mixed up, illness, or family emergency are allowable, but only up to a point. Never forget that missing an appointment for a medical exam can provide a disability examiner with an excuse to dismiss your claim for benefits.







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