Disability Determination Services, or DDS, is the state-level agency whose basic task is determining the eligibility of claimants to receive monetary disability benefits, or benefits from a state's adult medicaid program.

Disability benefits recevied via the Social Security Administration may be drawn from either social security disability (ssd) funds, or from ssi (supplemental security income), or, in situations where concurrent claims exist, from both programs.

Adult medicaid benefits are also based on a determination of disability and generally include a fixed number of doctor visits and prescriptions per month.

DDS is where cases are resolved at the initial claim and reconsideration levels. Typically, the vast majority of claims evaluated by DDS are denied, necessitating the unfortunate reality that, in most instances, claimants will need to have their cases heard by an Administrative Law Judge before they can be approved for benefits.

All states have their own DDS office and some states, those that have chosen a "decentralized system", have several.

In general, DDS is the better place to call when a claimant is curious regarding the status of a claim. This is simply because DDS examiners evaluate and process disability claims, not Claims Reps at the social security office.