Earlier this month I received an email asking about initial application procedures from a gentleman who had visited my Georgia disability web site.   This person had not yet applied and he wrote to ask me what he should expect when he did apply.

After discussing with him the ways he could apply – either by phone, in person at his local Social Security office, or online at ssa.gov, he asked me what was going to happen after he started his application.  I explained that once his claim was opened, his file would be sent to a disability adjudicator and that he should expect to hear from the adjudicator to set up an in-person or telephone interview.

Today, I heard back from this gentleman asking another very good question about the initial application process.  I believe that he has been through his initial interview and that his claim is now being processed.   Since his question is relevant to just about everyone who files for benefits, I thought I would answer it in my blog rather than by an email.

The applicant told me that he had applied in person and that his adjudicator had scheduled him to meet with a private doctor for a medical exam.  Is this a good sign or not?  What should he expect at this meeting?  Here are my thoughts:

The exam that has been scheduled is called a “consultative examination.”   These examinations are conducted by doctors who have contracted with the Social Security Administration to do this kind of work for a designated fee. Continue reading →