We asked a former Social Security Disability examiner:

What are the 3 most common questions that people ask when they are considering applying for social security disability?

This was her answer:

In my experience doing the mental health evaluations for applicants, I would say the top 3 questions have been:

  1. “I have an extensive medical/mental health diagnostic and treatment history and medical records from all my providers, so why have I been rejected by the Department of Disability five times?”
  2. “What diagnosis do you need to get approved for SSD?”
  3. “My neighbor/friend/friend’s friend got approved for SSD and all she has is depression. I also have severe depression and chronic back problems, two conditions that prevent me from being able to do any kind of work; why can’t I get approved?”

Regarding question 1:

Many people ask why they’ve been rejected for disability benefits. They feel as if they’ve dotted all their i’s and crossed all their t’s and they still can’t get approved. Some claim that disability doesn’t give them an explanation for their denial while others state that disability does give them a reason for denial.

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Regarding question 2:

I was asked this numerous times. Applicants often “theorize” a lot about the diagnoses or presenting issues that they “know” are necessary for being approved for disability. Oftentimes, these beliefs cause many individuals to arrive for the psychological eval and literally recite symptoms from online research that they did prior to their appointment with me. Many people don’t understand that there’s more to a mental health diagnosis than just reciting symptoms. For example, behavioral observations are critical in making a diagnosis.

Regarding question 3:

I heard many stories about people that applicants say that they “know” that receive SSD benefits, but “lied” on their application and there is really “nothing wrong” with them. Applicants will often compare their own condition with others who they know receive SSD and they become frustrated, wondering why they cannot get approved. What many applicants don’t understand is that the person they know who has SSD may appear “fine,” but chances are, they just don’t want to disclose their symptoms to others and they behave as if they were ok, at least in front of others. This especially applies to mental health issues, as many people can, for the most part, hide the illness (versus a physical disability, which can sometimes be more obvious).

Here are a few other questions/misconceptions that I’ve come across with applicants in the past:

  1. Oftentimes, people who are currently abusing alcohol and/or drugs don’t realize that SSD may reject them for this reason, even if the applicant has other disabling conditions.
  2. Many people ask if they have to be on psychotropic medications in order to be approved.
  3. Several applicants don’t understand that just because they can’t go back to their old job/previous job due to mental health/medical issues, doesn’t mean that they will get approved for SSD. They must be unable to do any kind of work to get approved.
  4. People often believe that the evaluating psychologist (me) makes the final decision on their approval. This is not true.
  5. People believe that the evaluating psychologist can “give” them a diagnosis and they will be automatically approved. This is also not the case because the Department of Disability typically often gathers medical records from past treatment and obtains evidence that the diagnosis “existed” before.
  6. People believe that if they perform poorly on an IQ test, they will get a diagnosis of Intellectual Disability (previously known as Mental Retardation) and they will automatically get SSD. The opposite is actually true. Faking answers/responses on as assessment can get them disqualified. In addition, an IQ score is not the only factor necessary to diagnose Intellectual Disability.
  7. Many people believe they have to cry, “act depressed,” or “act crazy” during their psych eval in order to get approved. This can also get them disqualified. Evaluators see dozens of clients weekly and are trained to pick up on cues that indicate that an applicant is exaggerating symptoms of malingering.