One of the biggest misunderstandings about Social Security disability is the belief that you will automatically qualify for benefits if you can no longer do the job you were doing when your health issues caused you to quit working.
Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple when filing for Social Security disability benefits. Social Security drills down further than this. Before approving a claim, the SSA must determine the answers to four questions that get very specific about your ability to continue to work.
The First Question: Can You Still Do Your Most Recent Work?
Let’s say you worked as a nurse, truck driver, warehouse worker, construction worker, or factory worker.
If your medical conditions now prevent you from doing that job, Social Security may agree that you cannot return to work at that job. But more questions will be asked.
The Second Question: Can You Do Any Other Work You Did Recently?
Social Security also looks at other jobs you performed during the five years before you became disabled.
For example, suppose you were working as a warehouse worker when your health declined, but a few years earlier you worked as a dispatcher or office clerk.
Even if you can no longer do the warehouse work, Social Security may decide that you can still do the dispatcher or office clerk job. If so, your claim may be denied.
The Third Question: Do You Have Skills That Transfer to Easier Work?
This is where many people are surprised.
With this question, Social Security is looking for ‘transferable skills,’ which are skills that you have developed at one job or through training, but could be used in various other jobs
For example, a person may have worked as a warehouse supervisor. That job may have required standing, walking, lifting, and being on your feet most of the day. But if the person also supervised workers, filled out paperwork, used a computer, kept records, or handled customer problems, Social Security may decide those skills can be used in an easier job that does not require as much physical activity. That decision can result in a denial.
The Fourth Question: Does Your Age Impact Your Ability To Learn a New Job?
Social Security will look at the level of physical work activity the person trying to get disability is capable of, their past work and transferable skills, and their age to determine if re-training for a different job at that point in their life is justified.
As a person ages, even if they have transferable skills, very little (if any) job training must be required of them to be able to adapt to another job.
The opposite of this is also true: if the person is under 50 and found capable of doing any work at all (even a sit-down job), they will NOT be approved.
Social Security Focuses on Your Limitations and Capabilities
Assuming that you meet all of the non-medical requirements for Social Security disability insurance, the SSA will examine your capabilities, training, and skills, and then pair that with your limitations and age.
Here is an extremely simplified look at the boxes that SSA checks in reviewing your claim:
- IF you can’t do your last job
- AND you can’t do any of your other recent jobs
- AND you don’t have any transferable skills
- AND you’re over 50
- THEN you may qualify for disability.
Of course, every case is unique, complex, and individual, which is why you need an expert to help guide you through the disability process.
Why Professional Help Matters
To qualify for SSDI, the question is not simply whether you can do the job you had when you stopped working.
The real question is whether Social Security believes you can do any of your recent work or use skills from your past work to perform easier jobs.
That analysis can be complicated, which is why you need an expert who understands the rules and how they apply to your case.
Contact the experts at Disability Advocates today to get the help and guidance you need.