Article archive / October 1, 2013
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 2. Source pages: 1, 4.
Piecing together information from a series of internal documents, the Times has discovered that the state Disability Determination Services officials stopped using New Orleans neuropsychologist Dr. Michael Chafetz shortly after he published results about malingering in Social Security claimants.
According to communications between Chafetz and state officials, obtained in a public records request, Chafetz had performed approximately 1000 evaluations for Disability Determination Services (DDS) up until 2007 when he and coauthors published their results about malingering. The article could be considered critical of SSA policy and procedures, and pointed toward possible savings which more recently have been estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
DDS communications show that in 2003 Chafetz presented his first set of findings at an in-service training for state DDS employees.
He received a favorable response. In 2004 Althea Murphy, Medical Relations Officer at the disability determinations services, wrote to Chafetz, “I would like to thank you again for sharing the results of your independent study on “malingering in the psychological” with our staff in April 2003. I hope the expansion of your study continue[s] to be a success.”
However, after the 2007 publication, which outlined problems regarding malingering in social security claims, the agency severed their relationship with Chafetz.
In a letter to Chafetz dated May 8, 2007, DDS official Ms. Denise G Parker wrote, “When your article in The Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology regarding 'Malingering on Social Security Disability Consultative Exam: A New Rating Scale' was brought to our attention, we immediately forwarded this information to the Social Security Regional Office in Dallas for guidance. We are awaiting information from Social Security as to how this relates to their policies regarding information obtained during a consultant examination, then used for publication. While awaiting this guidance, examinations have been suspended.”
“Until this issue has been resolved,” Parker wrote, “we will be unable to schedule any more examinations with you. We will be in contact with you when we know more.”
In a more recent email in January 2012, DDS Director Terri Spurgeon wrote, “We severed our relationship with this psychologist after we found out he had used our claimants referred to him for his study but not until after he published the paper.”
Several sources confirm that Chafetz followed all ethical and professional guidelines for conducting his research, ethics outlined by the American Psychological Association, and standards that have to be met by peer-reviewed publications.
Chafetz declined to comment to the Times about the matter, saying that the issue was private and not relevant, and that the agency had “every right not to use his services.”
In a series of nationally recognized and peer- reviewed research studies, Chafetz and his coauthors have continued to examine the scientific grounds of SSA policy regarding malingering and the agency’s prohibiting of tests for malingering. This string of research publications by Chafetz has helped lead the Office of Inspector General for the SSA to review the policies of the agency. (See related story this issue, page 1.)
Chafetz came to the attention of the local state DDS again in 2012 when he presented his on-going research for the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA).
In January 2012, DDS Director Terry Spurgeon sent a memo to psychological consultants cautioning them about the contents of the presentation.
During 2012 Times asked to speak with Ms. Spurgeon numerous times regarding the reason for her memo, but with no success. Finally, in September 2012 the Times filed a formal request for internal documents. In a back-and-forth effort, the representative from the department’s Bureau of General Counsel worked to “ensure all areas were covered.” This produced more internal documents by August this year.
In one email, Spurgeon wrote, “… we were alerted about a web session a former CE provider created regarding malingering on DDS exams. With guidance from SSA Regional we prepared a statement and forwarded to our current providers and DDS Psychological consultants.”
However, no information about the posture or the guidance from the SSA Regional office has been obtained, as yet.
And, it is still not clear why the agency severed their relationship with Chafetz in 2007 after the publication of his research.
Dr. Mike Chafetz’ research has been at the center of both local and national issues regarding testing and SSA. Above, he speaks at a conference of the Louisiana Psychological Association.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.