The Social Security Act provides benefits to disabled individuals under Title II (Disability Insurance Benefits) and Title XVI (Supplemental Security Income). The annual payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to disabled Louisiana citizens and their dependents total to $1.8 billion. Disability Determinations Services (DDS) is the state agency responsible for determining if individuals are disabled within the Title II/XVI requirements. All disability benefits, as well as the administrative costs of operating the DDS Program, are 100% federally funded.

The primary functions of Disability Determinations Services include:

Making decisions on initial applications for disability benefits with a claimant conference prior to denial of benefits.

Providing assistance in developing evidence for the federal Office of Hearings and Appeals on those claims that continue into the upper levels of the Social Security Administration appeals process.

Conducting the continuing disability reviews (CDR) of claimants who have been awarded benefits, according to current law which requires periodic review of all persons who have been found disabled, to assure their continuing eligibility. This includes due process hearings for reconsideration appeals of proposed cessation of benefits.

The Disability Determinations Services Program was established in 1954 by Congress enacting Section 211 of the Social Security Act. It was the intent of Congress that each state administer its own Disability Determinations Program following the guidelines established by Congress and the SSA.

The Louisiana Disability Determinations Services is decentralized. The Director is located in the State Office in Baton Rouge. The majority of claims are processed by Disability Determinations Examiners in the three Area Offices located in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans. Disability Hearing Units are also established in these three cities.

During the Federal Fiscal Year 2003 (October 2002 through September 2003), DDS received a total of 84,364 applications for disability benefits (a monthly average of 7,030 applications). A total of 87,283 new and pending applications (or 7,274 per month) was processed during the same period. There were 44,427 medical examinations purchased at a total cost of $7,347,118. Such medical examinations are needed to provide additional medical findings when the applicants' medical evidence is inadequate for adjudication.