Just as you might have suspected: Testimony before Congress shows that applicants for social security disability are not consistently evaluated. If you’re young, have a low earning history and/or a mental impairment, you’re more likely to get inconsistent results depending on who is assigned to your case.
In testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, the non-profit Rand Corportation shared research showing that many DDS examiners have allowance rates that are notably below or above their office average even after adjusting for differences in case-mix. Because applicants could potentially be assigned to any of these examiners, applicants face a significant degree of uncertainty as to whether their application will be initially allowed or denied. The group most affected by this includes younger claimants, claimants with low earnings histories and claimants with mental impairments (Maestas, Mullen and Strand 2010).