Welcome! This site is written for Social Security disability claimants, for their legal representatives, and for the network of people involved in the Social Security disability claim process. I hope you find it helpful.
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I have written before about the backlog at the Maine Disability Determination Services, particularly at Reconsideration, since initial claims are given priority. Now, some Reconsideration claims are being routed to the Vermont DDS to help ease the work load.

These claims, if denied again at Reconsideration and appealed, will have hearings in Maine. But the

The phrase "lost in translation" aptly describes what often happens with a Social Security disability claim at Disability Determination Services (the state agency that makes disability determinations at the initial application and reconsideration levels).

DDS obtains your medical records and usually has them reviewed by a DDS in-house doctor (for physical impairments) and/or a psychologist

The Reconsideration step of the Social Security disability claim process can be an unfriendly place.

On a national basis, 87% of claims are denied again at Reconsideration. That's 7 out of 8. I would say that my practice in Maine experiences a similar percentage of Reconsideration denials (In New Hampshire, however, disability claims go directly

When you file a Social Security disability claim, it goes to a state agency for a medical determination. The agency is called Disability Determination Services (DDS) in Maine, but some other states have slightly different names for their agencies. In Maine, the first appeal of a denied disability claim also goes to DDS for Reconsideration.