A disability evaluation expert from Commonwealth Medicine, UMass Medical School recently presented to the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) in Baltimore, Md. on the findings of a research project related to mental cognitive demands and employment.
Peter Mosbach, PhD, a physician advisor (psychologist) in Commonwealth Medicine’s Disability Evaluation Services, joined partners from Summit Consulting, LLC, the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, and the American Institutes for Research in presenting their research report on Nov. 27 to the SSA’s Office of Retirement and Disability Policy (ORDP), Office of Disability Policy (ODP), and Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics (ORES).
Three psychologists, a Social Security regulations expert, and two vocational experts joined Dr. Mosbach, the principal investigator, on the Disability Evaluation Services team for this research project. Their role examined mental and cognitive impairments associated with disability, and how these deficits are related to disability determination for Social Security Disability applicants.
Disability Evaluation Services and its partners, which also includes Insight Policy Research, were recently awarded a five-year SSA Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to conduct short-term research and evaluation studies on behalf of SSA’s Office of Retirement and Disability Policy (ORDP). The research and evaluation studies could lead to changes in current SSA rules and policy.
“Multiple states trust our team’s quality-tested and clinically driven approach to provide them with accurate and cost-effective disability evaluations. We are excited to bring that advanced clinical insight and expertise to the Social Security Administration,” said Disability Evaluation Services Senior Director Frank Joyce, RN.
Disability Evaluation Services provides high-quality and cost-effective disability determination services. The team processes upwards of 40,000 applications annually for state agencies and public retirement systems that include the Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire Medicaid programs as well as the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS) and Washington State Department of Retirement Systems.
Onsite clinical staff offer an objectively evaluated approach that incorporates both a medical and vocational review of each case. Their coordinated determination process exceeds benchmarks for both state and federal programs.