Testing Modifications to the Disability Determination Procedures; Disability Determination Services Full Process Model with Rationale Summary

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is announcing the locations of additional tests that it will conduct under the current rules codified at 20 CFR 404.906, 404.943, 404.966, 416.1406, 416.1443, and 416.1466. Those rules provide the authority to test modifications, either individually or in any combination, to the disability determination procedures that we normally follow in adjudicating claims for disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (the Act) and claims for supplemental security income (SSI) payments based on disability under title XVI of the Act. This notice announces the test sites and duration of tests involving a combination of modifications to the disability process. The additional testing will focus on certain SSA requirements for preparing a rationale for the adjudicator's disability determination to see if the modifications have any effect on how these requirements are met.