From three nearly identical contracting notices posted by the Social Security Administration:
The SSA Office Disability Policy seeks to: (1) provide additional capacity for medical expertise to the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) and (2) conduct a small scale pilot to determine whether existing Medical Consultants' (MC) in various specialties and Psychiatric Consultants (PC) use at the hearing level will enhance the accuracy and consistency between disability determinations at the initial level and decisions at the hearing level. Towards this end, BPA number SS00-16-4C051 with [H Richard Waranch, Neal Salomon, or Homayoon Moghbeli] to provide MC/PC services in the specialty of psychology, will be modified to permit the contractor to review cases for ODAR in the capacity of a ME, provide a written response and opinions to questions and/or interrogatories, and to give oral testimony subject to cross examination.Enhance consistency? Will there be any pilot to try to get initial level determinations more consistent with ODAR decisions? Is the only change sought at the hearing level?
Can anyone tell me anything about Waranch, Salomon and Meghbeli?
Richard Waranch is a psychologist. He has so far made over a million dollars in contracts from SSA.
ReplyDeleteToo bad some no income disabled person couldn't have received some of that in benefits or services.
ReplyDeleteWhy are they trying to find ways to spend more money while they talk of cutting the disability program?
Moghbeli shows up in 3 federal court cases on google scholar, as a state agency doctor. One describes him as "an internal medicine specialist who consults for the Social Security Administration"
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Moghbeli has ever seen a real patient.
ReplyDeleteI would be interested to know how employing more MEs at the hearing level enhance consistency at the initial and recon levels? Do they plan on having MEs provide critiques of the medical opinions offered at initial and recon?
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