The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. To receive SSDI or SSI disability benefits, an individual must meet the statutory definition of disability, which is “the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity [SGA] by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.” SSA uses a five-step sequential process to determine whether an adult applicant meets this definition. Functional Assessment for Adults with Disabilities examines ways to collect information about an individual's physical and mental (cognitive and noncognitive) functional abilities relevant to work requirements. This report discusses the types of information that support findings of limitations in functional abilities relevant to work requirements, and provides findings and conclusions regarding the collection of information and assessment of functional abilities relevant to work requirements.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• COMMITTEE ON FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT FOR ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Summary
  • STUDY APPROACH AND SCOPE
  • OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 1. Introduction
  • STUDY CHARGE AND SCOPE
  • STUDY APPROACH
  • REPORT ORGANIZATION
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Disability and Function
  • EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT OF DISABILITY
  • SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION'S CONSIDERATION OF FUNCTION
  • FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES RELEVANT TO WORK REQUIREMENTS
  • AN ECOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT FOR WORK
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Collection of Information on Function and Disability
  • TYPES, SOURCES, AND QUALITY OF FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION
  • PROPERTIES OF MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS
  • PROFESSIONALS WITH THE TRAINING AND EXPERTISE TO ASSESS FUNCTION
  • POTENTIAL THREATS TO THE VALIDITY OF FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Integrated Assessment of Work-Related Functional Ability
  • ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
  • INSTRUMENTS AND BANKS OF INSTRUMENTS FOR ASSESSING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL FUNCTION
  • INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING LIMITATIONS IN WORK ACTIVITY DUE TO HEALTH CONDITIONS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Selected Instruments for Assessment of Physical Functional Abilities Relevant to Work Requirements
  • OVERVIEW
  • GENERAL ASSESSMENTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION
  • MUSCULOSKELETAL ASSESSMENTS
  • PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND PAIN
  • CARDIOVASCULAR ASSESSMENTS
  • VISUAL ASSESSMENTS
  • HEARING ASSESSMENTS
  • SPEECH AND LANGUAGE ASSESSMENTS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Selected Instruments for Assessment of Mental Functional Abilities Relevant to Work Requirements
  • MENTAL FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES RELEVANT TO WORK REQUIREMENTS
  • INSTRUMENTS USED TO ASSESS MENTAL FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES RELEVANT TO WORK REQUIREMENTS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. Selected Impairments and Limitations in Functional Abilities Relevant to Work
  • BACK DISORDERS
  • CARDIAC IMPAIRMENTS
  • DEPRESSION
  • TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
  • SUMMARY AND COMPARISON OF COMMON IMPAIRMENTS
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 8. Review of Selected Disability Benefit Programs
  • OVERVIEW OF SELECTED BENEFIT PROGRAMS
  • DISABILITY DETERMINATION (ADJUDICATION) PROCESSES
  • COLLECTION OF FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION
  • SUMMARY
  • FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 9. Overall Conclusions
  • OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
  • SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR THE COMMITTEE'S OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
• Appendix A. Public Session Agendas
• Appendix B. Glossary
• Appendix C. Literature Search Strategies
• Appendix D. Biographical Sketches of Committee Members

Suggested citation:

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Functional assessment for adults with disabilities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25376.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25376

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019945053

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