State Of Nevada Bureau Of Disability Adjudication Social Security a Federal Program vs State of Nevada Scam Carson City Nevada

While this report is a bit old, there is a great deal of confusion regarding how Social Security is administered and how eligibility is determined and this report appears to be a prime example of it.

The Social Security Administration is indeed a federal program, but not all aspects of it are handled on the federal level. Some parts are done at a state level, by design. This is not some sneaky scam where the state supercedes federal laws--this is a logical division of responsiblities which becomes apparent when you look at the process, which I will very briefly summarize below.

When someone believes they are disabled, they can apply for Social Security Disability (SSI/SSDI depending). The process goes something like this, in those cases:
1) Social Security Administration (SSA) reviews the applicant's work credits to determine which program they may be eligible for (SSI or SSDI), their citizenship, and their income.
2) If the person meets those guidelines, SSA passes the application along to the relevant state's Disability Determination Services (DDS). In the state of Nevada, this is the office of Disability Adjudication (DETR/DA).
3) DDS looks at medical evidence and work history and compares them to determine if the person would be able to work. They do not just look at what your doctor thinks of your condition, they look specifically at functional impairments--at how your conditions directly interfere with your ability to work.
4) If there is functional impairment, DDS then looks at how the conditions that you are reporting may (or may not) be documented to prevent you from making enough money to live (called Subtantial Gainful Activity--SGA). They do not just look at if you can go back to your previous job, but whether you can receive training and rehabilitation to be able to do a different job as well.
5) DDS gives their determination to SSA.
6) If DDS determined the person cannot work or be retrained to work enough to get SGA, then SSA will start paying. If DDS determined there was not enough evidence to prove that you cannot work or be retrained to work, SSA denies the claim.

As you can see, this is not a state taking over a federal program. It is a division of responsiblity where SSA is responsible for determining eligiblity for social security and DDS is responsible for determining disabilities.

Lack of understanding of the process and lack of documentation of functional impairments are the two main reasons why people who have otherwise legitimate claims get denied. Getting angry and blaming the system will not resolve anything--find out how your case is being handled and find out what SSA or DDS needs in order to get you approved!