Social Security Disability: Collection of Medical Evidence Could Be Improved With Evaluations to Identify Promising Collection Practices

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) sought to evaluate challenges
Social Security Administration (SSA) and the state-level disability
determination agencies, Disability Determination Services (DDSs), face in
collecting medical records from claimants medical care providers, and
challenges facing claimants in obtaining high-quality consultative exams.
GAO also sought to assess SSA's progress made in moving from paper to
electronic collection of medical evidence. To conduct the research, GAO
surveyed 51 DDS directors, visited 5 state DDSs, reviewed sample case
files, and interviewed officials with SSA, DDSs, and associations for
claimants and providers . . .