Dealing with “Moderate” Mental Limitations in MSSs and SSA Determinations – NOSSCR 2026 Fall National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

You need not despair over a file that shows only “moderate” mental limitations in agency determinations or Medical Source Statements. The problem is rarely the word itself — it is that the word arrives undefined. This session is built around fixing that.

Definition drives outcome. Elicit a medical opinion without properly defining “moderate,” and the opinion carries less than it could. Put the right definition on the MSS form, and the same limitation reads differently. The ALJs have their own training materials on “moderate” limitations — knowing them tells you what the decision-maker was taught to see.

You walk out equipped at every stage: different definitions of “moderate” to include on MSS forms, the ALJ training materials reviewed, the relevant case law in hand, and a path to appeal an unfavorable ALJ decision in which “moderate” findings may be a factor.