This is the second in our series of suggested reforms for the social security administration's disability evaluation process. After reading this article, to learn more about RFC forms, go to the definitions page and look under RFC, which stands for residual functional capacity. |
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RFC (residual functional capacity) forms allow a physician to individually list a claimant's limitations; in other words, do they have trouble bending, crouching, stooping, reaching overhead, etc. Because RFC forms provide a degree of specificity with regard to what a person can or cannot do, they have a high degree of usefulness, both for disability examiners (and their unit physicians) who use the forms to finalize case decisions, and for disability representatives and attorneys who use this sort of physician-provided information to win cases. However, strangely and amazingly enough, disability examiners (the individuals who process ssd and ssi claims at the initial and reconsideration levels) do not send RFC forms...to a claimant's treating physicians. Why not? There is simply no logical or reasonable answer as to why this would not be part of the standard evaluation process for disability claims. Of course, the argument could be made that sending such forms might add additional elements of time and expense to what is already an expensive and extraordinarily time-consuming process. But such arguments hold little water when one considers the purpose of the social security administration's disability program which is to fairly and accurately evaluate an individual's eligiblity for disability benefits. Put simply, if disability examiners find RFC forms useful enough to use when they close cases...they should also consider them useful enough to send to a claimant's personal physician. Particularly before a final decision on a case has been made---so the doctor's specific input may be recorded and evaluated in concert with the rest of a claimant's medical records. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation |
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SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY ATTORNEY, REPRESENTATIVE LAWYER LIST ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 5 ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 6 |
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