Social Security has posted list of fees paid for Vocational and Medical Experts at hearings for 2018. Basically, it's $77 for the first appearance of the day and $39 for each additional appearance for VEs. It's $80 for each appearance for MEs. No wonder they can't get MEs. That's laughably low.
13 comments:
I've had numerous ME's with a history of discipline testifying at hearings. This probably explains why.
Those C- students have to pay that quarter-million in loans back somehow. But after seeing this I'll be sure to offer the VE's cab fare.
Your posting is a little misleading. You need to combine the study with the appearance. that is the way the experts view it so a doctor gets $160 per case for study and testifying and loses 1/2 if the hearing is cancelled with 24 hours notice - down to $80. The rates for the doctors were set in 1968! So you are right that they are ridiculously low.
I don't really see the problem. Seems like an okay deal for VEs given how little time/effort their job requires, and I always figured most of the MEs already work on contract for the agency, such that this is just extra income. Anyways, the MEs rarely seem to spend much, if any time, reviewing the medical records, and more than anything just seem to increase the amount of puzzle pieces staff have to sort through. And in my experience, the ALJs calling MEs to their hearings with any significant frequency are usually just trying to take a short-cut and avoid doing their job they're paid six-figure salaries to perform.
You're not including the study fee that MEs and VEs get per each case on top of their appearance fee. They get fully paid for no shows and postponements on the record. It's actually pretty great part-time work if you can get it. It's especially great for a retirement gig, which is why so many experts were born prior to the German invasion of Poland.
Those fees were also increased last year as well.
I've not had MEs testify at hearings very often, but when they have it's either been about irrelevant stuff that I wasn't alleging (one psych ME testified that my client had no severe mental impairment and I hadn't alleged a mental impairment nor did my client treat for any mental impairment) or they've testified extremely favorable to me, often times indicating that my client mets or equals a listing.
It's amazing how their doctors reach different conclusions than the initial medical consultant when the ME doctors have the benefit of the entire medical file rather than just fragments of it that DDS gives them.
I think some of those fees are paid in combination. Like a VE will get paid for pre hearing study and the appearance at the hearing. So it is around #130 for the first hearing and $80 for the subsequent ones. More or less. Still laughable.
I seldom see ME's; small wonder why. Poor VE's.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel for MEs is a problem, but what's the solution? Where will the funds come from to pay them more?
Some MEs are fairly good at least out here in California. Guess this means more ALJs will have to have the guts to meet a listing instead of relying on an ME to equal a listing. A bad ME can destroy a good case. These typically come over the phone from the Red states. Rarely does a good ME help a borderline case.
VEs are kind of irrelevant. Most of them are pretty decent just trying to supplant their income. A good hypo can back those into a corner. Some quibble on the transferable skills. But really it's not too hard.
About the money? Hey get a different job.
Bottom line, Focus on convincing the ALJ. And hopefully they are not biased.
9:56 talking about the MEs or the reps?
You are missing that they also get paid for studying the file ahead of time. So its actually $160 per appearance ($80 study plus $80 for appearance). If the hearing is cancelled after they study it then they are just paid the study fee of $80. Similarly for VE's, they are paid $121 for the first case of the day (study plus first appearance) and $83 for the other cases (study plus appearance fee).
I love the new America where the solution is eff em they need to get another job.
Uh these are jobs that are important with very important decisions riding on them yet we pay crap and then bellyache we aren't attracting good enough people.
See also physician positions on USAJOBS for the VA. Outside of a few rural clinics in poverty stricken areas, VA doctor pay is AWFUL and we can't understand why vets don't get better medical treatment.
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