The Disability Determination Services (DDS) develops evidence from medical and nonmedical sources, including the claimant, to establish:

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  Whether the claimant is disabled or blind;

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  The date disability or blindness began, if applicable; and

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  The date disability or blindness ended, if applicable.

For more information on case development responsibilities, see DI 22501.002.

Evidence is anything the claimant or anyone else submits to the Social Security Administration (SSA) or the DDS, or that SSA or the DDS obtains, that relates to the claim for disability benefits.

For the categories of evidence, see DI 24503.005B.

For details on what is not considered evidence, see DI 24503.001B.

For the definition of relevant evidence, see DI 24501.016B.2.

The DDS considers and develops all relevant evidence for the claim from multiple sources including:

The evidence the DDS develops should be complete and detailed enough to permit an independent determination about whether the claimant is disabled or blind, and if applicable, the date disability or blindness began, and the date disability or blindness ended. Complete development includes information about all alleged and discovered impairments, onset, duration, and vocational issues.

The evidence must allow the adjudicator to determine:

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  The nature and severity of the claimant's impairment(s);

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  Whether the 12-month duration requirement is met;

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  The claimant's residual functional capacity (RFC) when steps 4 and 5 of the sequential evaluation process apply; and

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  How the claimant functions on a day-to-day basis.

If the evidence contains a material conflict, inconsistency, or ambiguity, development is not complete. See DI 24501.016B.4. However, the DDS can make a determination if the evidence is inconsistent but sufficient. See DI 24501.016C.4. For children's claims, see DI 25205.005.