The Social Security Administration has recently posted instructions in its manual on ordering video consultative examinations (CEs). CEs are ordered by the Social Security Administration to use in determining disability. The instructions indicate this is only for psychiatric and some psychological examinations. This is supposed to be for rural areas and for areas where it's hard for the agency to get CEs done. The claimant is supposed to be able to object to a video CE but what will be done then? Just deny the claim for lack of evidence? Social Security will limit this to psychiatrists and psychologist licensed in the state where the claimant is located but adds that this limitation is only "at this time."
5 comments:
I have not read the link yet. Video psychological exams are a great idea. It also may provide video/audio evidence.
It may be more convient for a claimant/beneficiary if that claimant/beneficiary has effective broadband.
This is a great step in the right direction. I hope ssa continue in this modern direction.
Another step toward the goal of cases being decided by a computer operating a random number program.
Idiotic idea. It is hard enough to get a quality psych CE when the claimant is in person.
I have had experience in cases with clients who were supposedly being treated by psychiatrists whose contact was by video. The diagnoses and conclusions were wildly inconsistent with previous treating sources who had actual personal contact with the claimant. Whether because of video quality or just the lack of "vibes" and interpersonal cues which a diagnostician obtains from actual presence in the room with a patient, the quality of the evaluations do not seem to be accurate or consistent with personal evaluations. In this case, of course, we are speaking of CE's. Since most of these professional prostitutes have their usual written diagnoses on their word processor and, irrespective of treatment history, 95% of the symptoms will be found to be "minimal" or "mild," it really doesn't matter--the reports will be the same anyway. The true "fraud" in the SSA system is by dishonest CE's.
I find it curious that SSA says they authorized this because of the unavailability of providers in rural areas but then failed to make the unavailability of a provider a requirement for the use of video. Think that was just an oversight? Somehow I doubt it.
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