416.1017—Reasonable efforts to obtain review by a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist.
(a)
The State agency must determine if additional qualified psychiatrists and psychologists are needed to make the necessary reviews (see § 416.1015(d) ). Where it does not have sufficient resources to make the necessary reviews, the State agency must attempt to obtain the resources needed. If the State agency is unable to obtain additional psychiatrists and psychologists because of low salary rates or fee schedules it should attempt to raise the State agency's levels of compensation to meet the prevailing rates for psychiatrists' and psychologists' services. If these efforts are unsuccessful, the State agency will seek assistance from us. We will assist the State agency as necessary. We will also monitor the State agency's efforts and where the State agency is unable to obtain the necessary services, we will make every reasonable effort to provide the services using Federal resources.
(b)
Federal resources may include the use of Federal contracts for the services of qualified psychiatrists and psychologists to review mental impairment cases. Where Federal resources are required to perform these reviews, which are a basic State agency responsibility, and where appropriate, the State agency's budget will be reduced accordingly.
(c)
Where every reasonable effort is made to obtain the services of a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist to review a mental impairment case, but the professional services are not obtained, a physician who is not a psychiatrist will review the mental impairment case. For these purposes, every reasonable effort to ensure that a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist review mental impairment cases will be considered to have been made only after efforts by both State and Federal agencies as set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section are made.