The issue of DAA (drug/alcohol abuse) materiality can surface in a number of different types of cases, either physical, psychiatric, or psychological in nature.

Essentially, materiality has to do with scenarios of this sort: in a disability claim for which the medical evidence indicates either recent or ongoing drug and/or alcohol abuse, is the condition for which the claimant alleges disability exacerbated---or even caused---by such use?

In other words, is the claimant's disabling condition caused by, or made worse by, the use of alcohol or drugs.

If the answer is yes, the claimant's drug or alcohol use may be considered material to the alleged impairment. In such a case, the claimant may be found ineligible to receive disability benefits.

To use an example, if a claimant has seizures, and the records indicate substance abuse, an Examiner or Judge (depending on the level the claim is at) will have to question what role is played by the claimant's use of substances.

How is the materiality or immateriality of alcohol or drug abuse evaluated, relative to a disability claim? It is a judgment call in every case.

However, to use our example, if the conclusion were made that a claimant's seizure condition would medically improve provided that the substance abuse came to an end, then the substance abuse would be labeled as material to the seizure condition.

Consequently, the claimant could not be awarded benefits on the basis of seizure disorder.

If, however, the conclusion was made that the claimant's frequency of seizures would continue regardless of whether or not the alcohol abuse was discontinued, such use would be considered immaterial---in other words, irrelevant.