When during the course of development or following an interview with the claimant,
if DDS personnel think a claimant may have a contagious disease that is unknown to
the field office and that this situation may warrant a contagious disease alert, take
the following steps:
-
1.
The disability examiner (DE) must consult with a medical consultant (MC).
-
2.
The MC must assess the potential for transmission of the contagious disease during
face-to-face contact.
-
3.
The DE and MC together must decide whether the situation warrants a contagious disease
alert.
Examples of diseases that require a contagious disease alert from the disability determination
services (DDS) to the FO include:
-
•
Untreated tuberculosis (TB)
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-
-
For more examples of contagious diseases, consult the websites for the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health (see DI 23003.001.D).
NOTE: A diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection does not warrant a contagious
disease alert by the DDS to the FO.