An individual who meets the requirements to receive disability or blindness benefits will not be entitled to these benefits if they fail, without good cause, to follow prescribed treatment that we expect would:

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  Restore the ability to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) – in adult disability claims;

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  Eliminate or improve a child’s impairment so that it no longer results in marked and severe functional limitations in title XVI child disability claims; or

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  Restore vision to the extent that the individual will no longer be blind in statutory blindness claims.

This policy applies in all new claims, age-18 redeterminations, adverse reopenings, and continuing disability reviews (CDRs).

We may make an FTFPT determination at steps 3 and 5 of the sequential evaluation process and during a CDR. For more information, see DI 23010.007 When to Apply Failure to Follow Prescribed Treatment Policy.

We published an updated Social Security Ruling (SSR) addressing FTFPT in the Federal Register 10/02/2018, with an effective date of 10/29/2018. For the complete text see, SSR 18-3p: Titles II and XVI: Failure to Follow Prescribed Treatment.