Written by Joshua Eberle, Senior Disability Advocate
A consultative examination (CE) is a physical, mental, or diagnostic evaluation required by the Social Security Administration (SSA) at their expense when medical evidence for a disability claim is insufficient. Conducted by an independent physician contracted by the SSA, a CE provides additional information for the state Disability Determination Service (DDS) to make an informed decision on your disability application. Attending the CE is mandatory, as failure to do so can lead to the denial of your claim.
What to Expect During a CE:
Physical Exam: This can include evaluations of your strength, range of motion, gait, posture, and how your condition impacts your ability to perform tasks like walking, carrying, or sitting.
Mental Exam: This type of exam assesses your psychological or psychiatric condition and its effect on your ability to function.
Diagnostic Tests: You may undergo tests such as X-rays, blood work, or other imaging to gather more evidence.
Doctor’s Report: The examining physician will write a report detailing their findings, which becomes part of your disability case file.
Tips for Your CE:
Be prepared: Bring any relevant medical records and a list of medications you take.
Be on time: Punctuality is crucial.
Be honest and detailed: Provide clear, honest answers about your medical history, symptoms, and limitations.
Be specific: When describing how your condition affects you, provide specific examples of your daily activities.
Use your assistive devices: If you use a cane or walker, bring it to the exam.
Important Considerations:
The exam is mandatory: Not attending the CE could result in your claim being denied.
The doctor does not decide benefits: The physician provides a report, but the final decision on your disability claim rests with the SSA.
A consultative examination is an important component of your disability claim but it is not the end all. If you have additional questions or concern, you can reach out to your Advocate at Disability Help Group to further discuss your consultative examination.
This article was written & fact-checked by Joshua Eberle, Senior Disability Advocate. Joshua Eberle has years of experience guiding individuals through disability claims, ensuring practical and accurate advice.
Social Security Electronic Signature Rule Clarification
By Scott Layden, Jr. Senior Disability Advocate
On August 11, 2025, Social Security clarified its requirements for electronic signatures on certain documents. These documents include Claimant’s Appointment of a Representative (SSA-1696), Fee Agreement for Representation before the Social Security Administration (SSA-1693), as well as Applications for Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). EM-25010 REV
Based on these recent changes by Social Security, we at Disability Help Group have updated our electronic signature software and procedures. The new software shows a date/time stamp directly below our client’s electronic signature on the document. This date/time stamp corresponds to the exact date/time that our client signed the document electronically.
If you are a current Disability Help Group client, you may be contacted by DHG and asked to sign updated paperwork using your electronic signature. These documents can be electronically signed via a cell phone text message link or an emailed link. The electronic signature process is very straightforward and easy to complete.
These new procedures ensure that we are in compliance with Social Security’s clarified rule EM-25010 REV. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Social Security rule change (EM-25010 REV), or any other issue, please call your DHG Senior Advocate at 800-800-3332 or contact us today for a FREE consultation HERE.
This article was written & fact-checked by Scott Layden, Jr., Senior Disability Advocate. With years of experience supporting our clients through disability claims, Scott Layden, Jr. ensures readers receive trustworthy and actionable guidance.
Important Changes to SSA Attestation Rules: Key Updates that may Affect Your Claim
Written by: Erica Chitwood, Senior Disability Advocate
Effective January 15, 2025, all disability applicants must now sign an Authorization to Disclose Information to SSA (also known as Form 827) as part of the application process. SSA has recently streamlined their signature process such that an applicant no longer has to print and sign the 827; some of the new signature options include a “click and sign” format (for those applicants who file online); a “verbal attestation” process (for those who file in person or by telephone); and/or you can now execute the Form 827 by signing into your ssa.gov portal.
This article was written & fact-checked by Erica Chitwood, Senior Disability Advocate. Erica Chitwood specializes in guiding applicants through Social Security Disability changes and requirements, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information you can rely on.
Need Help With Your Disability Claim?
The rules and requirements for Social Security Disability benefits are constantly changing, and missing a step could cost you valuable time or even your claim. Our advocates are here to make the process easier, fight for your rights, and help you get the benefits you deserve. Call us today for a free case evaluation at 800-800-3332 or CLICK HERE now.
13 New Conditions Added to Fast Track Disability List
It’s no secret that the Social Security disability application and approval process can take a very long time. That leaves many applicants in a tough position, as they may have no income while they wait for Social Security disability benefits to be approved or fight their way through the appeals process.
For some disability applicants, there is a lifeline available. The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a Compassional Allowances List (CAL). The Compassionate Allowances program is designed to expedite benefits approval for those with the most serious disabilities. The program was rolled out in 2008 with a list of 50 conditions. That list has been updated multiple times since. The addition of 13 new conditions in 2025 brings the total number of conditions that may qualify for expedited determinations to 300.
New Conditions for the Social Security Disability Compassionate Allowances List
The most recent disability benefits update added 13 new conditions to the CAL. The conditions added to the Compassionate Allowances List in August of 2025 are:
Au-Kline Syndrome
Bilateral Anophthalmia
Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome
Harlequin Ichthyosis – Child
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
LMNA-related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
Progressive Muscular Atrophy
Pulmonary Amyloidosis – AL Type
Rasmussen Encephalitis
Thymic Carcinoma
Turnpenny-Fry Syndrome
WHO Grade III Meningiomas
Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim Syndrome
You can find the full list of 300 conditions that may qualify a Social Security disability applicant for expedited processing under the Compassionate Allowances program on the Social Security website.
How Does the Compassionate Allowances Program Work?
The term “compassionate allowances” can be a bit misleading. The Compassionate Allowances program doesn’t provide any additional benefits for a qualifying applicant, and it doesn’t allow someone who might otherwise not be eligible to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Instead, the process is designed to allow the SSA to quickly identify applicants with certain very serious or terminal medical conditions and bump them to the front of the line for processing.
How Do I Get Considered for Expedited Processing?
There are multiple ways to qualify for expedited processing for Social Security disability. If you are eligible for expedited processing under the Compassionate Allowances program, you shouldn’t have to do anything to request expedited processing. The system aims to identify your potential qualification and speed up processing on its own. However, neither the technology used to flag CAL applications nor the humans reviewing them are perfect.
An experienced Social Security disability benefits advocate can help ensure that you are considered under the Compassionate Allowance program if you qualify. For example, your advocate can explain exactly what language and level of detail is necessary to allow the SSA’s technology to identify your application as one that may qualify for quicker processing.
Your disability benefits advocate can also help you determine whether you may qualify for expedited processing for another reason. For example, you may be entitled to quicker processing if:
You have a terminal illness
You can establish that you are in dire financial need
Your disability began during military services or you have Wounded Warrior status
You Must Still Prove Eligibility for Social Security Disability
It’s important to understand that the fast track process for applicants with listed conditions doesn’t change the criteria for Social Security disability. Though your application can be slated for quicker processing, it will still be up to you and your advocate to show that you meet the SSA’s criteria for disability by providing appropriate medical records and other evidence. You must also meet technical requirements such as having accumulated sufficient work credits across your career and in the 10 years leading up to your disability.
Does the CAL Apply to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Applicants?
An SSI applicant may also qualify for expedited processing in other ways. For example, an applicant with certain severe medical conditions may presumptively qualify.
How Much Faster is the Expedited Process?
How quickly the expedited process moves forward depends on a variety of factors, including the office processing your claim, whether your application is promptly identified as qualified for quick processing, how quickly your medical records arrive and how thorough your evidence is. In some cases, you may receive a determination in a matter of days. More often, the determination may take a few weeks or a month. In some cases, it may take a few months.
There is one catch, though–no matter how quickly your application may be reviewed and approved, the five-month waiting period for Social Security disability benefits still applies. This usually isn’t an issue for disability applicants because that time has passed or nearly passed by the time they receive a determination. When processing is expedited, that may not be the case.
How Does the Five-Month Waiting Period Work?
A Social Security disability benefits applicant will not receive benefits for the first five months after they become disabled. Note, though, that the SSA will count that five months starting from the date they determine that you became disabled–even if you hadn’t yet applied for benefits.
For example, if you became disabled with a condition on the CAL in January and then didn’t apply for benefits until June and got approved in July, you would be eligible to start collecting benefits right away. On the other hand, if you became disabled in January, applied in February and were approved in March, you would have to finish out the five-month waiting period before you started collecting benefits.
Talk to a Disability Benefits Advocate
When you’re applying for Social Security disability, you’ll want to take advantage of every opportunity to move your application forward quickly and to improve your chances of a quick approval. An experienced disability benefits advocate can guide you through the process and ensure that you are providing the information the SSA will be looking for in the format and language that will be easiest for them to identify and work with.
When you’re applying for Social Security disability (SSD), you’ll typically need to provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) with a lot of medical documentation. Exactly what type of medical documentation is required will depend on your medical condition or conditions. The medical records the SSA is looking for may include doctor’s notes, diagnostic test results, and other documentation.
The first question many SSD applicants have is where to get the documentation they need. Here’s what you need to know about finding the best doctor for your disability claim.
Your Own Doctor Can Be Your Best Resource
The SSA doesn’t require that medical documentation come from a doctor on their roster or one they’ve pre-approved. In fact, they often prefer information from the doctor who has been treating you. Your own doctor may already have test results and other documentation the SSA wants to see. That makes the process more efficient and saves them from having to pay a doctor to conduct exams or run tests.
Your own doctor may also be able to provide more in-depth information about the limitations you face and the progress of your medical condition, since you may have been seeing them before you became disabled, or started treatment with them early in your disability.
What if Your Doctor Won’t Participate?
Some doctors are reluctant to get involved in the SSD application process. This can happen for different reasons. In some cases, the doctor doesn’t believe disability is warranted. In others, they simply don’t want to take on the extra work of providing a statement and other information. Others have different reasons.
If concern about the complexity of the process and time commitment is an issue, you may be able to persuade your doctor to participate by doing the legwork and showing them exactly what would be required–it’s not very time-consuming. If they still don’t want to participate, you can:
If you’re being treated by both a general practitioner and one or more specialists, ask your other doctor(s) to complete documentation
Obtain your medical records and test results from the non-participating doctor
Seek a new doctor who will cooperate with the SSD application process
You’ll want to consider practicalities in finding the right doctor, such as working with someone in an accessible location and making sure the doctor is in-network for your medical insurance.
Sometimes, A Specialist May Be Required
In some cases, you may need to seek out a new disability doctor to provide documentation for your SSD claim. While the SSA will generally accept information from any qualified medical professional, there are situations in which a particular type of specialist’s input will carry more weight.
One common example is a mental health condition. It’s not unusual for a person’s primary care doctor to prescribe medication for a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. If that’s the case, your primary doctor can certainly provide information to the SSA in support of your claim for Social Security disability. However, both diagnosis of mental health conditions and assessment of the limitations they cause can be nuanced.
There is no scan or blood test or other objective measurement that proves you suffer from the condition, or the extent of your disability. In that situation, a psychiatrist may be able to provide more detailed information, and the SSA may give greater deference to their opinion.
Seeking a New Disability Doctor
If you do need to look for a disability doctor in your area, either because your doctor won’t cooperate or because you need a specialist or additional testing conducted, here’s what you should consider:
Look for a doctor who cooperates with the SSA disability process–there’s no sense starting with a new physician only to find that they won’t provide what you need. You can start by searching online using terms such as “disability doctor near me” and “doctor for disability evaluation.”
Look for a doctor who is conveniently located, especially if your disability makes it difficult for you to travel to appointments. You may need to see the doctor more than once or undergo testing.
A doctor with credentials specific to your type of disability may be especially useful.
Social Security Consultative Examinations
When the SSA determines that you haven’t provided enough medical information for them to make a determination on your SSA application, they may ask you to undergo a consultative exam. This may happen under circumstances such as:
When the SSA determines that additional testing is needed for them to make a determination
When your diagnostic tests or doctor’s notes are too old or not consistent enough to allow them to make a determination
When the SSA wants you to undergo this type of exam, they will send you a letter. It is very important that you attend this appointment, arrive on time, and undergo any testing they have requested. If you don’t cooperate or miss your appointment, the SSA will make a determination based on the information they have. Since the exam is requested when the SSA decides they don’t have enough information to deem you disabled, that decision is very unlikely to go your way.
In that situation, you can request reconsideration–the first step in the SSA appeals process–and provide additional information. But, the need to appeal can delay your claim by several months to two years or more.
Your Disability Benefits Advocate Can Help
If you’re working with an advocate to secure SSD benefits, your advocate can help you assess when your treating physician is likely the best choice and when you may want to seek out another medical provider to provide documentation for your SSD application. Your advocate may also be able to help you find a doctor who will work with you and help coordinate the collection of the information you need from your physician. That’s just one of many ways an experienced advocate can help keep your claim moving forward smoothly. To learn more about how Disability Help Group can assist with putting together the strongest application or appeal possible, call 800-800-3332 right now, or fill out our contact form here.
