SOCIAL SECURITY'S MEDICAL EXAMS
- by Charles W. Forsythe
- May 27, 2017
- 2 min read
Social Security may send you for a medical exam before deciding your disability case. Here's what can go wrong.
1) The consulting examiner has never seen you before, knows none of your medical history, and may spend as little as 15 minutes with you during the exam.
2) The consulting examiner is paid by Social Security. He/she has no vested interest in looking out for your best interest. Even if he/she is honest, there's no incentive to help you.
3) The nature and scope of the examination has been limited in advance by Social Security's directions to the doctor. He/she will look only for specific things that have been requested by Social Security.
4) Usually, the doctor is not authorized to do any testing, such as X-Rays or lab tests that might help uncover a problem: it's a "here's what I can see" type of examination.
5) You run the risk of getting a doctor who is outright biased against Social Security disability--one who believes that nobody should be on disability. I've experienced a few doctors who were obviously so biased, in one way or another, that they would never find evidence of a disabling impairment. They would simply ignore any negative findings. "This patient should find a job," is the prevailing attitude with these doctors.
Social Security decision makers will usually rely heavily on the opinion of the examining doctor. Prior to 3/25/17, your lawyer could argue that your treating physician's opinion had to be given more weight than the consulting doctor. Social Security has now changed that rule, making it possible for a one-time consultative examination to have the same weight as the opinion of your long-time treating physician. This makes the consultative exam perilous at best.
