Social Security disability eligibility is not about a claimant’s medical problems. It is about the claimant’s inability to perform work because of those medical problems. Usually there are three disability arguments that can be used in most cases, only one of which needs to be proven.
1. Prove the claimant meets a listing. The listings, published by the Social Security Administration (SSA), are the approval criteria for a number of physical and mental impairments. If a claimant's medical records provide the information designated for a specific listing, it basically means their medical condition is so severe Social Security will assume they would be unable to work due to so many work limitations.
2. Prove that claimant’s functional capacity for work has been so reduced by medical issues that he would not be a reliable worker at even a simple, entry level job. Even easy jobs require the worker to be capable of certain activities, such as being able to stand or sit, lift and/or carry, concentrate, or stay at the job without too many breaks. So if the worker cannot stand or sit for a period of time, or they require more breaks than allowed during their shift, they probably do not have the functional capacity to perform the job.
3. Prove the claimant meets a grid rule or the GRID as they are often called. The grid rules are set up as a chart, and on this chart several factors are included such as age, education level, and previous work experience. The claimant’s particular situation is compared to the grid rules and the grid will direct a determination of disabled or not disabled based on exertional and/or non-exertional limitations.
Again, a claimant does not have to prevail under all three arguments, only one.
1. Prove the claimant meets a listing. The listings, published by the Social Security Administration (SSA), are the approval criteria for a number of physical and mental impairments. If a claimant's medical records provide the information designated for a specific listing, it basically means their medical condition is so severe Social Security will assume they would be unable to work due to so many work limitations.
2. Prove that claimant’s functional capacity for work has been so reduced by medical issues that he would not be a reliable worker at even a simple, entry level job. Even easy jobs require the worker to be capable of certain activities, such as being able to stand or sit, lift and/or carry, concentrate, or stay at the job without too many breaks. So if the worker cannot stand or sit for a period of time, or they require more breaks than allowed during their shift, they probably do not have the functional capacity to perform the job.
3. Prove the claimant meets a grid rule or the GRID as they are often called. The grid rules are set up as a chart, and on this chart several factors are included such as age, education level, and previous work experience. The claimant’s particular situation is compared to the grid rules and the grid will direct a determination of disabled or not disabled based on exertional and/or non-exertional limitations.
Again, a claimant does not have to prevail under all three arguments, only one.
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