hi larry,
so im at the reconsideration stage of my disability benefits, i got turmed down for my issue with my back and leg, i finally got my own dr to fill out a medical source form and sent it to SS along with the application for reconsideration, now i get a letter from them saying they want me to go for a consultory visit , this time for a mental exam, is that their way of brushing me off again?
- i went to a exam set up by them before, the dr was 92 years old, and did nothing else but perform these exams, so i giuess im quite skeptical at this point. what should i expect?
thank you

Hi,

I don't believe that Social Security is trying to brush you off by asking you to go to a consultative exam. There are specific severity levels for each category of impairment that must met in order to qualify for disability benefits, and if you haven't already had the type of test used to gauge your type of impairment then they set up a consultative exam. Social Security is limited as to the amount that they can pay for such exams, and they often have a hard time finding physicians who are willing to do the exams for the amount authorized. As a result, they frequently end up using doctors who have retired from their regular practices.

If you didn't mention that you have some type of mental issue, then it may have been raised by someone else in the evidence that Social Security obtained to make a decision on your claim. You aren't required to go to the exam, but failure to do so without cause would almost certainly result in a disallowance of your claim.

By the way, statistically a much larger percentage of disability claims are approved at the hearings level of appeal than at the reconsideration level, so you probably shouldn't give up if your reconsideration is disallowed.

Best, Jerry