From today's
Federal Register:
We are announcing the extension of tests involving
modifications to disability determination procedures authorized by 20
CFR 404.906 and 416.1406. These rules authorize us to test several
modifications to the disability determination procedures for
adjudicating claims for disability insurance benefits under title II of
the Social Security Act (Act) and for supplemental security income
payments based on disability under title XVI of the Act. ...
We are extending case
selection for the prototype and the single decisionmaker tests until
September 26, 2014.
None of these "tests" ever work well enough to be made national but they never seem to end. Why?
5 comments:
The Prototype test has worked - eliminating the reconsideration level saves a lot of time and money for everyone.
The only problem I see is that the record is not developed at the initial level and if it goes straight to hearing level, almost no one orders CE's and the MER is not comprehensive enough in most cases to decide a favorable case on. If there is enough to pay it at the initial level, it is. If there isn't, the file probably isn't ripe. Most of our impairments are progressive in nature so some where along the line in the next year or two, the claimant's impairments will be severe enough and hopefully the record will be devloped enough to be paid. Do not count on the hearing office to develop anything.
It’s all about the Benjamins. If the prototype and single decision maker models were to be rolled out nationally, there is concern about a very slight increase in allowance rates. If they were ended, the prototypes DDSs don’t have enough staff to process the extra Recon cases. We are caught between a rock and a hard place.
the record isn't developed at the recon level either b/c reps dont start collecting records until after the recon denial. just get rid of recon nationally...
I'm unclear. Has there been an increase in allowance rates in the prototype and SDM areas? If so, how much? If not, why would rolling it out everywhere increase allowances?
@8:06
Not everyone is repped at recon. However, our DO does a good job of ordering at the recon level.
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