A mother called me recently. She was upset that Social Security had denied her son, even though the denial admitted that he has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

How can Social Security deny him, if they admit he has ADD?

I explained that the diagnosis is only the first step in the Social Security evaluation process. While Social Security requires a medically determinable impairment, basically a diagnosed condition to explain the individual’s symptoms, the diagnosis itself is usually not enough to get a person approved for Social Security benefits.

The reason for this is, except for certain conditions, a diagnosis does not describe the severity of that condition. The child might have extremely severe ADD, or the child might have very mild ADD. If the condition is extreme, the child may be approved, but if the condition is mild, the child may be denied.

After discussing the severity of the child’s ADD, I encouraged her to come in to my office so we could continue to talk about her son’s case. I believe we may be able to show Social Security how the child’s ADD manifests itself and that the condition is severe and disabling. But, it is these next steps (nature of symptoms and the severity of those symptoms) which Social Security will use to determine if the child is disabled, not just the diagnosis.