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. 1. 

   The disability examiner (DE) must consult with a medical consultant (MC).

2. 2. 

   The MC must assess the potential for transmission of the contagious disease during face-to-face contact.

3. 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)

• •

  Swine influenza A-H1N1

• •

  Meningitis

• •

  Measles

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.

If after following the procedure outlined above, the DDS determines that a claimant does have a contagious disease that requires an alert to the FO, take the following steps:

1. 1. 

   DDS staff must immediately notify DDS management.

2. 2. 

   DDS management must immediately notify the regional office Center for Disability (CD).

3. 3. 

   CD staff must immediately notify management in the FO that took the claim.

4. 4. 

   FO management must immediately determine whether employee contact occurred with the claimant and, when appropriate, ensure medical testing for FO staff. (See GN 00203.010 Conducting Interviewing under Difficult Situations.)

NOTE: Notify by telephone, email, fax, electronically through messages in eView or any combination of these options.

FO and DDS staff members, including MCs, are not required to report contagious disease cases to anyone outside of SSA.

GN 00203.010 Special Interviewing Situations (Disability)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)