In evaluating a claim for disability benefits, the social security administration (through its subsidiary, Disability Determination Services) may send a claimant to a consultative medical examination that is either physical, psychological, or psychiatric in nature. According to SSA, CE's are used to gather additional medical evidence for the benefit of disability claimants. In practice, CE's generally add little constructive information to a case, and what a claimant experiences at a CE often leaves much to be desired as well. |
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If you'd like to learn the basic facts about social security medical exams (known as CE's, or consultative examinations), visit the "Definitions" section of Disability Secrets and look under M for medical exam. In this short article, however, we'll briefly discuss CE's in a more subjective light, mainly by pointing out a few things that a claimant might benefit from knowing before heading off to their own social security medical exam, if in fact the examiner handling their case decides that one is necessary. One: Social security medical exams tend to be brief. Very brief. Though they can last as long as twenty minutes and may last an average length of ten minutes, in many cases, they may only take 5 minutes to both start and finish. Two: Many of the doctors who perform CE's for the social security administration (arranged by DDS) do not seem to like doing them. This might appear to be a fairly subjective statement; but, it does seem to be evidenced by a demeanor and attitude that has been readily apparent to a great many disability claimants. In fact, it would be difficult to find a DDS examiner who has not heard the commonly voiced complaint that the doctor who conducted a CE was not only "lightning fast" in the conduct of the examination, but rude and unfriendly as well. Naturally, one might wonder--"Why would a physician agree to perform such exams if he or she dislikes doing them?" The answer is simple: Money. Many new and/or struggling practices, see CE's as a fast (emphasis on fast) and easy way to fill waiting room space, i.e. generate additional revenue. Unfortunately, since these exams are paid for by DDS and not by the person being examined, some doctors may fail to give the claimant the same level of courtesy that they would generally extend to one of their regular patients. Three: The doctor who performs your CE may not...have your best interests at heart. As a disability examiner myself, I read a number of CE reports in which the consultative physician noted their suspicion that the claimant seemed to be exaggerating their complaints and symptoms. These Doctors have even been known to watch claimants as they walked back to their cars to see if they still limped, or, if--as they got closer to their vehicle--suddenly started walking better. Is this kind of behavior on the part of an examining physician "fair"? From a doctor's point of view, it may be, since, occassionally, from time to time, they may see a small percentage of malingerers. However, it is a well-known reality that many physicians do not give proper credence to a patient's complaints of pain, quite likely because pain is a subjective matter rather than a measurable and objective one. In other words, it is often difficult, even for trained doctors, to adequately comprehend the effects of someone else's pain. In short, claimants who go to CE exams scheduled for them by a disability examiner (or an administrative law judge) should be aware of this basic and eye-opening reality: the doctors who perform these examinations are not there to assist or help them in any fashion. They are simply performing a paid service, one that, unfortunately, in many disability cases, holds very little value for claimants who are trying to win their benefits. The writer of this short article is: Tim Moore, the author of DisabilitySecrets, who, in addition to being a former Food stamp caseworker, Afdc caseworker, and Medicaid casworker, is also a former Social Security Disability Examiner. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation |
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