In this day and age it seems we need expert advice on a variety of topics where people are becoming more specialized in their given career fields. When it comes to legal cases, whether they involve criminal law, civil law or administrative law, experts are used to provide valuable information in hearings. The Social Security disability process is no different.
When a claimant has a Social Security disability hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), it is the ALJ’s responsibility to make a decision whether someone applying for disability benefits meets Social Security’s definition of being disabled. To assist in these matters many claimants hire a Social Security disability attorney who will try to prove the claimant is in fact disabled according to the medical evidence. The ALJ also requests some assistance through Vocation Experts (VEs) and Medical Experts (MEs).
The ALJ will appoint a VE to appear at virtually every adult disability hearing. The VE will testify about the claimant’s work background, their employment qualifications and abilities and the general employment market. A typical VE will usually have a background in assisting individuals who have physical or mental health limitations find work.
Not every hearing will include an ME, it is really up to the ALJ as to whether they would like testimony from an ME. The reason not all ALJs request MEs to appear at hearings is that there is already a lot of medical evidence that is before the ALJ to consider before the hearing is even held. This medical evidence usually contains several medical opinions, whether they by related to physical or mental health impairments, from multiple doctors, so much that any testimony by an ME might just be going over issues that have already been addressed.
When is comes to child disability claims no VE is requested to appear because children have not ever worked, but usually an ME is requested to appear in these types of cases.
