Anytime you deal with a government agency or program, with its various rules and regulations, you can expect an “alphabet soup” of special acronyms and abbreviations with special meaning. Experienced disability attorneys will obviously know what the acronyms mean, but an ordinary citizen may find the abbreviations bewildering. The RGG Law disability attorneys have compiled a limited but helpful list commonly used acronyms with regard to Social Security Administration and its disability programs.
Disability Law Acronym Cheat Sheet
AC — Appeals Council: This is a panel within the Social Security Administration located in Falls Church, Virginia, that reviews appeals of unfavorable decisions by administrative law judges from around the country.
ALJ — Administrative Law Judge: This is the judge who presides over a disability hearing. While an ALJ is part of the Social Security Administration, he or she is appointed for life and has independent decision-making authority.
AOD – Alleged Onset Date: This is the date you allege your disability began.
CE – Consultative Exam or Consultative Examiner: This is a medical exam or person who performs a medical exam at the request of the Social Security Administration to help the agency make a decision on your claim.
DDS – Disability Determination Service: This is a state agency which often helps Social Security develop the record on a claim at the initial level of review.
DIB – Disability Insurance Benefits: This is a technical name for ordinary Social Security disability benefits based upon a person’s earnings record. This same benefit is sometimes referred to as SSD, SSDI or Title II benefits.
DLI – Date Last Insured: If a person stops working and is “insured” or eligible to receive DIB, this insured status can expire over time. This the deadline by which a disability must be found to have begun in order to receive DIB.
DO – District Office: This is a regular location for the Social Security Administration serving a geographic area.
EOD – Established Onset Date: This the date Social Security has concluded is the beginning point of a person’s disability.
IFA – Individualized Functional Assessment: This is a form where a medical provider can give an opinion regarding the functioning of a child according to the six “domains” or areas of function considered on children’s cases.
ME – Medical Expert: This is a doctor who has reviewed medical evidence and who may testify at a hearing at the request of Social Security. The doctor may participate by telephone, by video teleconference or in person.
MSS – Medical Source Statement: This is a form completed by a treating medical source to identify functional limitations for their patient. Such forms can address physical limitations (MSS-P) or mental limitations (MSS-M). Some MSS forms can be focused on specific disorders or medical conditions.
ODAR – Office of Disability Adjudication and Review: This is the office where a hearing with an ALJ takes place. This is often a separate location than the DO.
OTR – On The Record: This is a decision in which Social Security agrees to issue a decision (usually favorable) without the benefit of a hearing because of the obvious strength of the evidence.
PRW – Past Relevant Work: This is the work a person has performed in the 15 years prior to the onset of their disability which they did long enough to learn how to perform the work and at which they earned sufficient income for the work to be considered substantial (see SGA below).
RFC – Residual Functional Capacity: This is a list of remaining functional abilities after allowing for restrictions created by a person’s medical problems. It is the most the person can do given their medical limitations and includes both physical and mental limitations.
SGA – Significant Gainful Activity: This is competitive work activity with sufficient income and duration that a person has learned how to perform that work and the work is considered “substantial.” While there are detailed rules and exceptions, generally a person earning gross income of $1,000 per month and sustaining this same job for a period of 6 months or longer is performing SGA. A person alleging disability cannot be engaged in SGA.
SSA – Social Security Administration.
SSD – Social Security Disability: This is the name of the agency’s primary disability program for people who have an adequate earnings record. This same benefit is also referred to as DIB, SSDI and Title II benefits.
SSDI – Social Security Disability Insurance: This is an alternative name for the agency’s primary disability program for people who have an adequate earnings record. This same benefit is also referred to as DIB, SSD and Title II benefits.
SSI – Supplemental Security Income: This is the name of a means-tested benefit program for persons who are medically disabled but do not have an adequate earnings record to qualify for DIB. While other disability programs are “insurance” programs based on paid-in earnings, SSI is a public assistance program intended to benefit poor persons.
VE – Vocational Expert: This is a type of witness who often testifies at ALJ hearings. They typically provide information about a claimant’s past work and answer questions about the functional demands and availability of other jobs in the national economy.
VTC – Video Teleconference: This is a hearing where the claimant and judge do not meet face-to-face in a hearing a room but are able to see and hear one another on a computer monitor or other video screen.
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