If you go to a mental health clinic for disabling mental impairments. They usually score you and document how impaired you are and what your level of functioning is. So, I would think it would be easier getting your case approved for a mental health disability if the mental health clinic has documentation showing you have extreme low level of functioning vs. someone applying for disability for say chronic fatigue or something that is subjective.

There is nothing wrong with this analysis. However, Social Security disability cases are rarely formulaic. Winning a case is almost never as simple as having “A, B and C.” While some evidence is better than others, an individual does not necessarily have a better chance of winning  because they have one type of evidence over another.

In Social Security cases, an objective diagnosis is nice. However, the totality of the evidence is almost always more important. Even cases with the same diagnosis have widely varying chances of success based on the individual evidence each case has. That means that there isn’t a cook book for handling disability cases. You have to individually evaluate each one.

Put another way, you cannot Rock, Paper, Scissors your way to winning a disability case.

photo credit: Meme!

I previously wrote about how Social Security may move a case from one hearing office (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review – ODAR) to another to try to ease case congestion and speed up processing.

Usually, there is nothing to worry about when this happens. However, there is something you do need to watch out for. If you are not careful, you could delay the decision in your case, or even reduce your chances of winning.

If your case is transferred to a different hearing office, be sure that you are submitting evidence to the right ODAR office. If you send records to the wrong office, your evidence may not get into the file. This means the judge may miss critical evidence that could make all the difference in your case.  

How to make sure the evidence gets into your file

Social Security is moving to completely digital files. The days of simply mailing records to the right ODAR office are nearly over. In most cases, Social Security requires electronic submission of records.

If you are working with an attorney, he or she can submit records using Social Security’s Electronic Records Express (ERE) service.

If you do not have a lawyer, you can either fax in your records and other evidence, or send your records to a Social Security scanning center to be processed and entered into your file. Either way, you need to add a cover sheet with a Social Security bar code with each submission of evidence. 

Social Security uses the bar code not only to identify your case, but also identify your file so the evidence goes to the right place.

If your case is transferred, you may need to obtain a new bar code to make sure your evidence gets into your file at the new ODAR office. 

How do you get an updated bar code?

Just ask.

If your file is transferred to a different ODAR office, you will receive a notice letting you know this has happened with the new office’s address and phone number. You should also get a new bar code automatically from that hearing office as well.  If you do not get a new bar code, or if you lose it, you can call the new ODAR office and request a replacement.

What if I lost the notice.  How do I find out which office has my file?

If you don’t know which office has your file, just call your local Social Security office or the Social Security 800 number (1-800-772-1213).  

TIP: You may get more up to date information from your local Social Security office.  Several of my clients have gotten quite a scare when they called the 800 number to check the status of their case, only to be told (mistakenly) that there was no appeal on their case. Fortunately, a call to the local office helped clear up the confusion.