WHY YOUR CASE IS UNIQUE!
- by Charles W. Forsythe
- Jun 23, 2017
- 2 min read
These are the main factors that Social Security will use to determine if you meet their definition of disability:
1) Age
2) Medical Impairments
3) Past Relevant Work
4) Education
Since these 4 factors are different for each individual, your Social Security disability claim is unique.
AGE: If you are age 50 or older it is easier to be found disabled. At age 55, it gets even easier. Age plays a major role because older individuals can meet a medical-vocational guideline, also called the grid rules.
MEDICAL IMPAIRMENTS: Obviously, the more serious the impairment(s), the more likely you will be found disabled. Also, the type of impairment counts, not just the severity. If your condition can be photographed by medical imaging (X-ray, MRI, ultrasound, CT scan, etc.), you are more likely to be approved than if you have an "invisible disease," such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia or depression. How well your doctor has documented your condition plays a major role.
PAST RELEVANT WORK: If your past work was mostly sedentary, or work with a very low exertion level, it may be more difficult to demonstrate an inability to continue working. On the other hand, if your past work required heavy lifting, prolonged standing and frequent bending, it may be easier to show why you cannot continue that type of work. This is important at Step 4 of the five-step consideration process.
EDUCATION: The higher your education, the more skills you have and the more adaptable you are to new work. A person who completed high school will have employment opportunities that an individual with an 8th grade education will not have. An individual with a lot of technical training in a specialized area will probably have transferable skills to new work and that new work may be physically easier than the work available to less educated person.
The key is to demonstrate to Social Security how each of these 4 factors combine to make you unable to work. However, if I had to choose 2 of the factors that are the most important to a Social Security case, I would say that age and medical evidence are most important.