Social Security Uses a Grid of Medical & Vocational Rules to Decide Disability
If you are 50 years or older when applying for Social Security disability, it may be easier for you to get approved for disability benefits than it is for a younger person, since you may not be able to return to your previous job or jobs. This is because the Social Security Administration (SSA) believes it is harder for an older person to learn a new job skill or to make the transition into a new workplace. The SSA refers to this as making a “vocational adjustment.”
The grid rules are one way you can get approved for disability benefits through a medical-vocational allowance. Social Security generally uses the grid rules only after it has determined that you can’t do the jobs you’ve done in the recent past.
Grid Factors
These grid rules use the following factors to determine whether an applicant is disabled:
- applicant’s age
- applicant’s education level
- the skill level of the applicant’s past work
- whether the applicant learned any skills that can be used in a different job, and
- the applicant’s exertion level capacity.
Let’s take a look at each of these factors and see why, and how, they may affect your claim.
Your Age
For the purposes of the grids, the SSA divides applicants into the following age groups:
- younger individuals (18 through 49)
- closely approaching advanced age (50 to 54)
- advanced age (55 and over), and
- closely approaching retirement age (60 and over).
The older the applicant is, the easier it is to get approved using the grids.
Your Education Level
The lower your education level, the more likely you are to get approved under the grids. This is because the SSA knows it is harder for people with little education to find jobs they are qualified to do. Here is how the SSA divides education levels:
- high school graduate or more, plus recent training for skilled work
- high school graduate or more, without recent training for skilled work
- limited education (generally 11th grade and below), and
- unable to read and write.
Your Past Work Experience
For purposes of the grids, the SSA classifies jobs as unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled. Those with a history of only unskilled work are more likely to be found disabled under the grids.
The SSA will classify your past jobs based on how you describe them and how the Department of Labor DOL) classifies them. An unskilled job, for example, might be a sorter at a factory. An example of a semi-skilled job is a waitress. An example of a skilled job is a paralegal. To determine a job’s skill level, the DOL considers factors such how long it takes to learn a job and whether the job requires specialized education.
Whether You Have Skills That Can Transfer to a New Job
If your past work was skilled or semi-skilled, the SSA will consider whether you learned any skills that could be used in another position (called transferable skills). The more transferable skills you have, the more likely it is that the SSA will say there is other work you can do, and the harder it is to win your disability claim.
Note that even though a job may be classified as skilled, the skills learned in that job may be so specific that you can’t use them in another position (for example, seamstress work). The SSA won’t classify skills like these as transferable.
What is the exertional level capacity that Social Security discusses when looking at our ability to work?
It is your remaining ability to do work on a regular and sustainable basis (full-time). SSA will use the objective medical evidence you or your doctor has submitted to do a detailed assessment of your ability to do certain job-related activities like standing, walking, lifting, carrying, and pushing.
The exertional levels consist of:
- Sedentary exertional level – is defined as being able to lift 10 lbs. occasionally and less than 10 lbs. frequently. You must be able to sit 6 out of 8 hours per day with occasional walking and standing.
- Light exertional level – allows for 20 lbs. weight lifted occasionally (1/3 of the day) and 10 lbs. frequently (2/3 of the day. A person must be able to use their feet and hands to move machinery as well as walk 6 hours out of 8 per day.
- Medium exertional level – is the ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally and 25 lbs frequently and walk, stand, lift and carry.
- Heavy or very exertional level – If you have an exertional level for heavy or very heavy work, the SSA won’t use the grid rules. This is because if you can do heavy or very heavy work, you can also do medium, light, and sedentary jobs, which means that there is a wide range of work you can do.
After Social Security makes a finding on your exertional level, they will then look at your age education and past work which will direct a finding of disabled or not disabled. Social Security looks at your ability to walk, stand, sit, lift/carry, push and pull.
Generally, the higher (heavier) your exertion level capacity, the more difficult it will be to get approved under the grids.
Social Security will look at your prior 15 years of work history and determine if you can do any of your past jobs. Then they will look to see if you have the ability to use any of your learned skills for any other job in the national economy. Exertional levels are just one area Social Security considers when determining if you are disabled or not.
Social Security looks at your past work and determines which of these levels best describes what you did at work. It is the reason; a person must fill out the Work History Report completely to describe the job you did as you actually did it. If you don’t describe your job, then Social Security will assume you did the job as it is defined by the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
When your limitations and restrictions imposed by your impairment(s) and related symptoms, such as pain, affect only your ability to meet the strength demands of jobs (sitting, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling), we consider that you have only exertional limitations. This is a part of the determination process to determine if they think you are disabled.
We always recommend you have assistance in completing the Work History Report that is sent to every person who applies for Social Security Disability to help you define the job you did your job. It is important that you include details that the adjudicator at Social Security may not know about your particular job.
Please feel free to contact me at Patty@mpes.net or 866-686-7556.
~ Patty
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