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42 U.S.C. 421(m), 902(a)(5), 1382, 1382c, 1382h, 1383, and 1383b; secs. 4(c) and 5, 6(c)-(e), 14(a), and 15, Pub. L. 98-460, 98 Stat. 1794, 1801, 1802, and 1808 (42 U.S.C. 421 note, 423 note, and 1382h note).
45 FR 55621, Aug. 20, 1980, unless otherwise noted.
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Subscribe to: 20 CFR Part 416 Subpart I - Standards To Be Used in Determining When a Consultative Examination Will Be Obtained in Connection With Disability Determinations
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Nomenclature changes to part 416 appear at 68 FR 53509, Sept. 11, 2003.
A consultative examination is a physical or mental examination or test purchased for you at our request and expense from a treating source or another medical source, including a pediatrician when appropriate. The decision to purchase a consultative examination will be made on an individual case basis in accordance with the provisions of § 416.919a through § 416.919f. Selection of the source for the examination will be consistent with the provisions of § 416.903a and §§ 416.919g through 416.919j. The rules and procedures for requesting consultative examinations set forth in §§ 416.919a and 416.919b are applicable at the reconsideration and hearing levels of review, as well as the initial level of determination.
[56 FR 36964, Aug. 1, 1991, as amended at 65 FR 11879, Mar. 7, 2000]
(a) General. If we cannot get the information we need from your medical sources, we may decide to purchase a consultative examination. See § 416.912 for the procedures we will follow to obtain evidence from your medical sources and § 416.920b for how we consider evidence. Before purchasing a consultative examination, we will consider not only existing medical reports, but also the disability interview form containing your allegations as well as other pertinent evidence in your file.
(b) Situations that may require a consultative examination. We may purchase a consultative examination to try to resolve an inconsistency in the evidence or when the evidence as a whole is insufficient to support a determination or decision on your claim. Some examples of when we might purchase a consultative examination to secure needed medical evidence, such as clinical findings, laboratory tests, a diagnosis, or prognosis, include but are not limited to:
(1) The additional evidence needed is not contained in the records of your medical sources;
(2) The evidence that may have been available from your treating or other medical sources cannot be obtained for reasons beyond your control, such as death or noncooperation of a medical source;
(3) Highly technical or specialized medical evidence that we need is not available from your treating or other medical sources; or
(4) There is an indication of a change in your condition that is likely to affect your ability to work, or, if you are a child, your functioning, but the current severity of your impairment is not established.
[56 FR 36964, Aug. 1, 1991, as amended at 62 FR 6421, Feb. 11, 1997; 77 FR 10656, Feb. 23, 2012]
We will not purchase a consultative examination in situations including, but not limited to, the following situations:
(a) When any issues about your actual performance of substantial gainful activity have not been resolved;
(b) When you do not meet all of the nondisability requirements.
[56 FR 36965, Aug. 1, 1991]