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Glossary
Choose a glossary term by clicking it's first letter below:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Note: Not all letters have associated glossary terms at this time.
A
ACPS or ACP: Analyst Case Processing System. DDD's automated case processing/management system. Generates correspondence, enables management information capacity, transmits case decision and folder movement data to the Social Security Administration's federal data base.
AGED CASE(S): Term used to categorize cases that are pending at least 90 days. Also used for other time categories, e.g., “120 day cases.”
ALJ: A Federal Administrative Law Judge. Federal attorneys who conduct hearings for claimants who appeal DDD denial decisions at the initial denial level, and DDD hearing decisions to stop benefits (i.e., cessation decisions).
C
CDB: Childhood Disability Benefits. Title II benefit category for disabled adult children of deceased, retired or disabled parents. Disability must have begun prior to age 22.
CDR: Continuing Disability Review. The Social Security Act requires a review of whether individuals continue to be medically disabled. Several factors determine the period when a CDR is actually conducted.
CE: Consultative Examination. DDD purchases CEs to supplement the medical record or obtain medical information unavailable from a claimant's treating sources.
CEMD: Consultative Examination Medical Doctor. Physicians who perform consultative examinations (CEs) for DDD. Fees cannot exceed DDD's fee schedule maximum.
D
DC : Disabled Child. Supplemental Security Income benefit category for children (under age 18).
DHO: Disability Hearing Officer. Conducts in person hearings. Next appeal is to a federal Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
DHU: Disability Hearings Unit. A unit in each DDD regional office that conducts in person hearings with disabled beneficiaries who appeal a DDD decision that the individual is no longer disabled.
DI: Disabled Individual. Supplemental Security Income benefit category for adults.
DIB: Disability Insurance Benefits. Title II benefit category for disabled workers.
DQB: Disability Quality Branch. Social Security Administration's (SSA's) )component that reviews the accuracy of DDD determinations. There is a DQB in each SSA region. The NY DQB is located at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. Reviews determinations made by New York, New Jersey and Puerto Rico.
DWB: Disabled Widows (Widowers) Benefits. Title II benefit category for widows or widowers based on a deceased spouse's social security payments.
I
Initial Claims: First level disability determination for Social Security and or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
M
Medical Improvement: MIRS (Medical Improvement Review Standard). Statutory based review process that essentially says that if an individual has not medically improved since the last medical decision, benefits continue. MIRS was created as the standard in the 1984 changes to the Social Security Act.
MER: Medical Evidence of Record. Medical information obtained from a claimant's own treating source. DDD pays a standard $10 fee.
MRO: Medical Relations Officers. Each DDD region has an MRO responsible for regional medical and professional relations, including oversight of the provision of CE (consultative examination) services.
O
OHA: Federal Office of Hearing and Appeals. Social Security Administration organization Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearings. Substantial decision making authority based on the federal Administrative Procedure Act (APA).
OQAPA: OQAPA - Federal Office of Quality Assurance and Performance Assessment. Parent agency of the regional DQBs. Often shortened to OQA.
P
PD: Presumptive Disability. Only for SSI claims. Enables an early (presumptive) allowance of benefits for 6 months based on a substantial probability of a final allowance when all required documentation is obtained. A PD can be reversed to a denial, but the claimant does not return the PD benefits.
PPWY: Production Per Work Year. The total number of cases processed divided by the number of DDD staff (on the basis of FTEs, Full Time Equivalents).
Q
QA: Quality Assurance organization within DDD. Also called Quality Control.
R
Review Physician (or Psychologist): Review Physician (or Psychologist). DDD Medical Staff. The Social Security Administration uses the term Medical Consultant (MC).
T
Title II: The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.
Title XVI: The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability program.