Our goal is to provide all applicants with accurate, prompt, cost effective, thorough, and fair decisions.
STEP ONE: APPLY FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS
Apply through one of the agencies listed below.
| PROGRAM | AGENCY |
|---|---|
| Medicaid for the Aged, Blind & Disabled (MABD) Includes Disabled Children’s Home Care (Katie Beckett) |
Green Mountain Care (VT Health Access) |
| Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) | Social Security Administration |
| Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | Social Security Administration |
STEP TWO: WE DETERMINE YOUR NON-MEDICAL ELIGIBILITY
The agency you applied to:
- Reviews your application to see if you meet the non-medical requirements.
- If they determine that you do, they forward your application to DDS.
STEP THREE: THE AGENCY DETERMINES YOUR MEDICAL ELIGIBILITY
DDS determines your medical eligibility:
- We assign your case to a disability examiner.
- The examiner writes to your healthcare sources requesting records related to the disability that limits your ability to work.
- If more evidence is needed, we arrange and pay for a special examination.
- Based on the evidence, we determine if you meet the medical requirements for disability.
- We return the case, including our determination, to the agency that assigned the case.
- The agency notifies you of the decision and the process to appeal.
How long the process takes will depend on how quickly your medical sources send us copies of your records and whether a special examination is needed. It could take several months.