NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

Support for this project was provided by Contract No. 600-96-27893 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Social Security Administration. The views presented in this report are those of the Institute of Medicine Committee to Review the Social Security Administration 's Disability Decision Process Research and are not necessarily those of the funding agencies.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu. For more information about the Committee on National Statistics, visit the CNSTAT home page at www2.nas.edu/cnstat.