I spent the last ten working years in the mental health field. The GAF, while helpful, is subjective at best. One clinician's 50 may be another's 60. It's all about the clinician's perception of your dx., and how it is impacting your level of function. The clinician also determines t he score based on his/her training, experience and bias. 59 is supposedly the higher end of moderate impairment in at least one area of function.....work, education, interpersonal relationships etc.

Also, what might be a cautious score for one dx (or set of dxs) might be wonderful for another. Let's say you have a client with an IQ below 50 and behavior disorders. After skilled talk therapy, family support and a good behavior modification plan, the client's GAF is 59. The client is now having infrequent conflict at home or school or workshop. It's party time. Another client with average cognitive function, and your cluster of problems, would be a concern to me with a 59 GAF that was not improving.

Request another hearing. Get another psych. evaluation from your community mental health clinic. I have little use for the evals. submitted by SSA contract doctors. When I first filed for disability, I had an orthopedic eval. by a local chiropractor. The bozo never laid a hand on me and submitted a report that implied that I was faking my problems. He gave my pain doc a copy of the report he was going to submit and my pain doc called me and asked me to come pick up a copy from him. I waited a week and then called the disability ombudsman, read all of the various reports that private physicians had submitted and the radiology report from my latest MRI. She was appauled when I was finished, particularly concerning the fact that I received no real physical exam. BTW, it may be a coincidense but Bozo lost his contract shortly thereafter.

I know it isn't easy but don't throw in the towel. If Binder and Binder have been representing you from the beginning, dump them. I understand having to get to the hearing stage. They try to wear you down so you will give up. With your dx, I should think you would have been approved at the first hearing.............if your representative was doing his/her job. Good luck.