Expert reports · Social medicine
Social Medicine and Work Capacity Reports
Social medicine reports assess how health impairments affect functional capacity, earning capacity and participation. What matters is the functional impairment, not the diagnosis alone.
For an initial review, the question, the instructing party and any deadline are sufficient.
Typical questions
- Functional capacity for work, in quantity and quality
- Reduced earning capacity and occupational disability
- Need for rehabilitation and prognosis
- Degree of disability (GdB) in mental health conditions (Section 152 SGB IX)
- Incapacity for work and return-to-work planning
- Reduced earning capacity (Section 43 SGB VI): full reduction applies where a person can work less than three hours a day on the general labour market, partial reduction where they can work three to under six hours a day.
Legal basis: Section 43 SGB VI · Section 152 SGB IX · Section 109 SGG
Who instructs us
- Lawyers
- Private insurers
- Social courts
- Pension and accident insurance funds
Approach
Reports combine file review and clinical examination with a function-based assessment using social medicine criteria.
Conclusions on work capacity are consistently derived from findings and functional limitations.
What we need to review an instruction
- Social court or insurance agency and case reference
- Decision and objection
- Question to be answered
- Occupational and employment history
- Rehabilitation and treatment reports
- Previous expert reports
- Deadline
Professional responsibility
Doctor-medic Otilia Gudana, MSc
- Consultant in Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy (Bavarian Medical Association)
- Specialist training and practice in psychiatry, most recently acting senior consultant at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, kbo Isar-Amper-Klinikum Taufkirchen
- MSc Communication, Behaviour & Credibility Analysis (Manchester Metropolitan University)
Full professional backgroundAssessment methodologyMedical association and contact
Last updated: October 2026
Process and fees
- 01
Enquiry
Brief details of the instructing party, questions and deadline – via the enquiry form or by phone.
- 02
Initial check
Review of jurisdiction, conflicts of interest and scope. You will then hear whether the instruction can be accepted.
- 03
Offer and fees
For private instructions, fees and timeframe are agreed in writing before the instruction is accepted. For court instructions, remuneration follows the JVEG.
- 04
File review & examination
Analysis of the documents and a clinical interview where required.
- 05
Report
Written report with transparent reasoning. On request, Doctor-medic Otilia Gudana explains the report to the instructing party.
For private instructions, fees and timeframe depend on the question, the size of the file and the examination required, and are agreed in writing before the instruction is accepted (see Terms, § 5). For court instructions, remuneration follows the applicable provisions of the JVEG.
Frequently asked questions
Can you review an existing social medicine report?
Yes, as a second opinion or methodical review.
Is a report under Section 109 SGG possible?
A report under Section 109 SGG is a court-appointed expert report, not a private report. The application is made in writing to the social court and names the expert with name and address; the court may require an advance on costs. Whether such an instruction can be accepted is checked in advance. Please clarify this with the practice before applying.
This page provides information about expert report services. It is neither legal advice nor medical treatment. The legal decision is made by the court or the competent authority.