Social Security has now issued new
instructions to allow for video consultative examinations of disability claimants but only by psychiatrists and psychologists.
I'm not seeing any physical consultative examinations locally. Are any going on elsewhere? Is there a plan for this other than to hold cases indefinitely?
Honestly, about 3/4 of the psych CEs we see are so worthless, they might as well just let the examiner send in a generic evaluation without ever talking to the claimant. SSA wastes a tremendous amount of money on CEs because more often than not, they provide very little, if any useful info. Of course, if they got thorough examinations with good info, it would be harder to deny some of these folks.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know. The fact that the claimant can tell the CE the name of the building they are in and what day it is clearly disproves the claimant has PTSD.
^Sarcasm^
On a more serious note, why is the MMSE even used? I have relatives with debilitating mental impairments and they would easily pass the MMSE with 30/30.
Agreed about the CEs. Believe probably you get an honest CE maybe 10-20 percent of the time. Other than that, it is mere nonsense. Seems like the DDS evaluations sometimes are a little more favorable. However, CEs do help when the client is over 50 or 55 sometimes.
ReplyDeleteMost normal ALJs do not give them much credit. But the low granting ALJs and medical experts rely on them like they are gospel.
Does this include neuropsychological exams?
ReplyDeleteThe problem with a CE is they know WHO writes the check. They know they are there to deny, not to approve. I think the ONLY way for a fair sytem is if employers and SSA are both paying the same doctors and the doctors have to make an assessment based upon their exam whether the person can do a job without knowing who is paying for it. Even then, doctors could probably figure it out most of the time.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. CEs must vary by region. In my area, CEs are equally worthless because they simply write down whatever the individual tells them.
ReplyDeleteI agree CEs are mostly worthless but the worthless CEs are more likely to result in unwarranted allowances than denials
ReplyDeleteIMA told me they're conducting psych tele-CEs.
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