National Disability Pension Partners Releases "3 Points to Prepare For" for Depression and Mental Disability Applicants Following October 2026 Screening Change

National Disability Pension Partners (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Takeshi Miyazato), a social insurance labor consultant firm with over 2,500 successful cases in specialized support for depression-related disability pension applications, has released "3 Points to Prepare For Now" for applicants with depression or mental disabilities, following the publication of "Handling of Certification Documents for Disability Pension" by the MHLW's Pension Bureau.

The new measures explicitly state that from October 2026, cases resulting in unfavorable actions, such as rejection or benefit reduction, will be subject to screening by multiple medical examiners. While this is expected to improve objectivity and fairness, applicants with mental disabilities will face greater scrutiny regarding whether their "daily living reality is accurately conveyed in the documents."

Recognizing the importance of applicants preparing documents that "anyone can understand the real-life situation from," the firm explains the impact of these measures and provides practical advice.

■ Problems with Certification Document Handling and MHLW Measures
Following reports concerning the handling of certification documents at the Japan Pension Service's Disability Pension Center, the firm has consistently provided resources such as checklists for applicants to save personal records and analyses based on investigation results regarding screening retrials.

The MHLW's newly published measures include the following policies:
- In principle, re-examinations will be handled by the same medical examiner.
- If a different examiner must be assigned, the case will be subject to multi-physician screening.
- Initial certification documents will be preserved as screening records.
- The goal for processing time for cases requiring multiple screenings is set at 4 months.
- From October 2026, all cases resulting in unfavorable actions (rejection, benefit suspension, or reduction) will sequentially be subject to multi-physician screening.
- Difficult cases will be adjudicated by a Certification Review Committee.
- The creation of case study collections and databases, particularly for mental disabilities, will be prioritized.
- The digitalization and paperless processing of screening tasks, including AI utilization, will be considered.

The firm views these measures as a significant step forward in enhancing the transparency and objectivity of disability pension screening by formalizing the preservation of records.

■ 3 Structural Challenges in Mental Disability Screening
Standardizing "screening by multiple medical examiners" means that application documents will be reviewed from multiple perspectives. The firm identifies the following structural challenges:

1. Difficulty Balancing Speed and Thoroughness
Claims for depression and mental disabilities involve complex confirmation items. Accurately grasping fluctuating symptoms and daily life realities is time-consuming, making it difficult to keep within standard processing windows.

2. High Variance in Judgments
Unlike physical disabilities, mental disability screening cannot rely on test metrics alone and requires comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors, such as daily activities (going out, bathing, financial management) and family support status.

3. Critical Importance of Document Consistency
If a medical certificate indicates a severe condition but the application statement lacks sufficient explanation of daily hardships, it may lead to inquiries or prolonged screening.

■ Solutions Provided by MHLW Measures
The MHLW measures address these challenges with the following:
- Processing Time: Establishing a 4-month target for multi-screening cases to ensure thorough review time.
- Judgment Variance: Expanding multi-physician screening, utilizing a Certification Review Committee, and promoting case databases.
- Document Consistency: Preserving original certification documents to ensure screening processes can be verified later.