What Is DDS for Social Security? A Plain-English Guide for Georgia Disability Claimants 

Disability Determination Services (DDS) is the state-level agency that makes the medical decision on your Social Security disability claim. The Social Security Administration (SSA) handles your application, but DDS decides whether you meet SSA’s medical definition of disabled. 

Georgia note: In Georgia, this agency is called Disability Adjudication Services (DAS), not DDS. It does exactly the same job. We’ll use “DDS/DAS” when referring to Georgia’s agency specifically. 

What Is DDS in Simple Terms? 

DDS is a state agency that makes medical disability decisions on behalf of the federal government. SSDI is a federal program administered by SSA, but Congress delegated the actual medical determination step to state agencies. Each state has its own DDS, funded by the federal government but operated by the state. 

When you file a disability application, SSA’s Field Office handles the non-medical parts: verifying your work history, confirming work credits for SSDI, or checking income and asset limits for SSI. Once that screening is complete, SSA transfers your case to DDS. From there, a DDS Disability Examiner — a state employee — reviews your medical records alongside a contracted Medical Consultant physician and applies SSA’s rules to determine whether you qualify. 

The decision goes back to SSA, which mails you the official notice. The letterhead on your denial letter says “Social Security Administration” — but the medical decision was made by DDS. 

In Georgia, “DDS” Is Called “DAS”:  Here’s Why That Matters 

In Georgia, the agency that handles disability determinations is called Georgia Disability Adjudication Services (DAS), not DDS. It performs exactly the same function: reviewing medical evidence and deciding whether a claimant meets SSA’s definition of disabled. The name is different. The job is identical. 

Georgia DAS is housed under the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) and handles all Georgia disability claims regardless of where in the state you live — Marietta, Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, or anywhere else. 

SSA correspondence and most disability attorneys — including our team at Keener Law — use “DDS” even when referring to Georgia’s agency. All federal form letters, processing systems, and legal citations use “DDS” universally. So if you receive a letter referring to “DDS” and you live in Georgia, that letter is about Georgia DAS. 

What Does DDS Actually Do? Three Main Activities 

Once SSA transfers your claim to DDS/DAS, the agency takes three main actions. 

Reviewing Medical Records 

DDS requests records from every provider you identified on your SSA-3373 (Adult Function Report) and your SSA-827 (Authorization to Disclose Information). Examiners review those records alongside a Medical Consultant to assess your functional limitations against SSA’s criteria. 

Incomplete records are the most common reason DDS needs additional questionnaires or orders a Consultative Examination. List every provider who has treated you for every relevant condition — not just your primary physician. 

Sending Questionnaires 

When records leave gaps, DDS sends additional forms: the SSA-3373 Adult Function Report (if not already submitted), the Work History Report (SSA-3369), or forms requesting recent treatment updates. Return every questionnaire within the deadline, typically 10 days. Missing that deadline without contacting DDS first can result in a denial for failure to cooperate regardless of your underlying medical evidence. 

Ordering Consultative Examinations (CEs) 

If medical records are insufficient or DDS needs an independent evaluation, they schedule a CE at SSA’s expense. CE appointments are typically brief — 10 to 30 minutes — and focus on functional limitations rather than diagnosis. The CE physician’s report goes into your claim file. Attend every scheduled CE. Missing one is treated as failure to cooperate. Be specific and honest about your limitations at the appointment. 

The DDS Decision Process — Step by Step 

1. You file your application with SSA — online, by phone, or at an SSA Field Office. Marietta-area claimants typically use the Field Office serving Cobb County. 

1. SSA’s Field Office screens for non-medical eligibility: work credits for SSDI, income and asset limits for SSI. 

1. If you pass non-medical screening, SSA transfers your case to Georgia DAS. 

1. Georgia DAS assigns a Disability Examiner who gathers records, sends questionnaires if needed, orders a CE if needed, and works with a Medical Consultant to evaluate your case. 

1. DAS issues its decision — approval or denial — and sends it to SSA, which mails the official notice to you.  

The typical timeframe for an initial DDS decision in Georgia runs about 8 months from when SSA transfers your case. 

How DDS Decides if You’re Disabled — The 5-Step Sequential Evaluation 

SSA’s five-step sequential evaluation process is the actual framework DDS uses to make every disability determination, codified at 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520. “Sequential” means that if DDS can decide at any step, they stop. 

Step 1: Are You Engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)? 

If you’re working and earning above the monthly SGA threshold, you’re not considered disabled regardless of your medical condition. For 2026, the SGA threshold was $1,690/month for non-blind individuals and $2,830/month for individuals who are blind. 

Step 2: Is Your Impairment Severe? 

DDS asks whether your impairment significantly limits your ability to perform basic work activities, such as walking, standing, lifting, remembering, and concentrating. This is a low threshold, designed to screen out very mild conditions. Most claims pass step 2. 

Step 3: Does Your Impairment Meet or Equal an SSA Listing? 

SSA’s Blue Book is a catalog of medical conditions severe enough to qualify as automatically disabling if specific clinical criteria are met. It’s organized by body system. If your condition meets a listing exactly, DDS approves at step 3 without continuing. Many claims don’t meet a listing on their face. That’s when DDS continues to step 4. 

Step 4: Can You Still Do Your Past Relevant Work? 

DDS assesses your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC), what you can still do physically and mentally despite your impairment, and compares it to the demands of any job you’ve held in the past five years. If your RFC shows you can still perform those jobs, DDS denies at step 4. 

Step 5: Can You Do Any Other Work in the National Economy? 

The final step. DDS combines your RFC with your age, education, and work history to determine whether any other jobs exist in significant numbers in the national economy that you can still perform. If no such jobs exist, you’re approved. If jobs can be found, you’re denied. At an ALJ hearing, a Vocational Expert (VE) typically testifies about this question. 

Knowing where in the five-step process a claim is most likely to win or lose is one of the biggest advantages of working with an experienced disability attorney. Most denials come at steps 4 and 5, and those are also the steps where an RFC opinion from your treating physician carries the most weight on appeal. 

Common Reasons DDS Denies Claims 

• Insufficient medical evidence. You haven’t seen a doctor recently, records have gaps, or documentation doesn’t adequately capture functional limitations. 

• Earnings above SGA. You’re working and earning above the monthly SGA threshold. DDS denies at step 1 without reviewing medical evidence. 

• Failure to follow prescribed treatment. Your doctor recommended medication, therapy, or a procedure and you haven’t pursued it without a documented reason. 

• Failure to cooperate. You missed a CE appointment, didn’t return a questionnaire on time, or didn’t respond to DDS contact attempts. These denials are procedural — and entirely preventable. 

• Impairment not expected to last 12 months. SSA requires a disabling condition to have lasted or be expected to last at least 12 consecutive months. 

• Drug addiction or alcoholism as a material factor. If SSA determines that substance use is a contributing factor material to the disability, DDS denies. 

• RFC insufficient to find disabling. DDS concludes you can still perform past work (step 4) or other work in the national economy (step 5). This is the most common basis for denial and the most common basis for reversal at ALJ level with strong treating physician RFC evidence. 

A denial at the DDS stage is not the end of the road. The appeal process starts with a Request for Reconsideration, which must be filed within 60 days of your denial notice. 

How to Strengthen Your Claim at the DDS Stage 

1. List every treating provider on your initial application — not just your primary physician. 

1. Stay in active, consistent treatment. A 12-month treatment record with regular visits carries far more weight than a single recent appointment. 

1. Complete all questionnaires within the deadline (typically 10 days). Call DDS for an extension before the deadline if needed. 

1. Attend every scheduled CE. Missing it is treated as failure to cooperate. 

1. Ask your treating physician to complete an RFC form. RFC opinions from treating providers carry significant weight at steps 4 and 5 and at the ALJ hearing level. 

1. Keep a symptom journal. Document functional limitations day by day: what you can’t do, how long activities take, what symptoms occur, and how long recovery takes after exertion. 

1. Submit third-party statements from family members, friends, or former coworkers who have observed your limitations. SSA accepts these and weighs them alongside medical records. 

What Happens If DDS Denies Your Claim? 

Important fact: reconsideration is also handled by DDS, but by a different Disability Examiner and Medical Consultant. It’s a fresh review, not a rubber stamp. 

1. Reconsideration: File Form SSA-561 within 60 days of the initial denial. 

1. ALJ Hearing: Request within 60 days of the reconsideration denial. An Administrative Law Judge, independent of DDS, hears your case. Represented claimants win at significantly higher rates than unrepresented claimants. 

1. Appeals Council: Discretionary review of the ALJ decision. The Council may grant, deny, or remand. 

1. Federal District Court: If all administrative appeals are exhausted, the final option is district court review of the administrative record. 

DDS handles the initial application and reconsideration. Everything beyond reconsideration moves through ALJs and the federal appeals system, independent of DDS/DAS. 

SSA vs. DDS: What’s the Difference? 

SSA (Social Security Administration) is the federal agency that runs the disability program: takes your application, screens non-medical eligibility, processes payments, and oversees ALJ hearings. 

DDS (or DAS in Georgia) is the state agency that makes the medical determination on whether you qualify. When you receive a denial letter, the letterhead is SSA, but the medical decision was made by DDS.