Disability Determination Services (DDS)

DDS stands for Disability Determination Services. This is the department that decides whether a person is medically eligible – physically or mentally – to qualify for disability benefits.

Applications for disability benefits are first submitted to the claimant’s local Social Security field offices, where the non-medical facts (age, employment, marital status, etc.) are verified. Then the case is sent to a Disability Determination Services (DDS) office and assigned to an examiner who will review medical records and determine whether the claimant is considered to be blind or disabled according to the law.

If your initial case is denied, the DDS office will also handle the reconsideration claim.