Disability status is an important characteristic of the diverse populations that psychologists serve. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are vital resources for people with disabilities. Access to healthcare is facilitated by Medicare that is provided by SSDI; and SSI affords a small income to eligible beneficiaries. Both programs are administered by the United States Social Security Administration and they have created an important role for psychologists. This article is intended to serve a practical guide that encourages greater and more effective participation by psychologists in the disability determination process. It provides beginning resources on the process of application and review for SSDI and SSI, roles for treating psychologists and reviewers, and basic skills and resources for psychologists who may be involved in disability determinations.

Psychologists play an important role in the diagnosis of psychologically disabling conditions. These professional conclusions and their documentation are essential to the process of Social Security Disability determination. Substance dependence is a frequently present complicating factor in these cases. Once considered to be one of the acceptable bases for determining disability status, it now has a disqualifying effect on eligibility for benefits. This article discusses exceptions to this general rule and makes the observation that the personal values and biases of psychologists may diminish the objectivity of professional judgments that are rendered in this controversial area of administrative law. We review applicable sections of the APA Code of Conduct and make recommendations intended to promote competent ethical practice.

This paper describes the methodology used to translate the MCMI-III into Brazilian Portuguese and presents results from a reliability study conducted in Brazil with the translated instrument. The sample was comprised of 222 Brazilian college students. Test-retest correlations between first and second testings (over a period of 7 to 14 days) ranged from .70 to .93 across 27 scales. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from .54 to .87. The procedures described in this paper represent preliminary steps in the development of a Brazilian Portuguese translation of the MCMI-III. Further studies are needed to obtain reliability data with a clinical sample, evaluate the diagnostic validity of the scales, and derive appropriate base rates for the Brazilian population.

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