The evaluation process used by the Social Security Administration to determine whether someone has a disability and is unable to work includes age. Being older may give a person a slight advantage over a younger person.
The disability team at Sackett and Associates wants you to have a better understanding of the complex process to apply and be approved for Social Security disability benefits. Here is an explanation of the Social Security disability age 50 rule currently in use and how it could affect whether your application for benefits is approved.
The Social Security Disability Insurance Evaluation Process
An individual applying for SSDI benefits must be unable to work because of a disability. Social Security does not pay benefits for partial or short-term disabilities.
Someone filing a claim for SSDI must be unable to do substantial gainful activity (SGA) due to a medically determinable physical or mental impairment expected to result in death or expected to last for at least 12 months. The Social Security Administration relies on a five-step sequential evaluation process when reviewing applications.
Social Security 5-Step Sequential Evaluation Process
Your application for Social Security disability benefits goes through a five-step evaluation process:
- Step one: If you currently work, are you earning more than the monthly threshold for substantial gainful activity?
- Step two: Do you have an impairment that is severe enough to last for at least 12 months or result in death?
- Step three: Do you have an impairment that meets or matches one from the Listing of Impairments?
- Step four: Can you do past relevant work?
- Step five: Can you adjust to do other types of available work?
Age becomes a factor in the last two steps of the evaluation process.
Social Security determines your residual functional capacity, which reflects the activities you have the capacity to do with the limitations of your medical condition. It uses this information, along with your age, education, and work experience, to decide whether you can do past relevant work or adjust to another type of available work.
Age and Social Security Grid Rules
The Social Security Administration uses medical-vocational guidelines as part of the disability evaluation process. The guidelines, commonly referred to as “grid rules,” categorize applicants by age, education, past work experience, and exertion capacity. For purposes of this article, the focus will be on the age grid rules.
The age categories under the grid rules include:
- Younger individuals (ages 18-49).
- Individuals closely approaching advanced age (ages 50-54).
- Individuals of advanced age (ages 55-59).
- Individuals closely approaching retirement age (age 60 and above).
Individuals ages 50 and older benefit from the Social Security Administration, recognizing that adjusting to doing other types of work becomes more difficult. This translates to their receiving favorable consideration in the five-step sequential evaluation process, particularly at step five, and the evaluation of their ability to adjust to doing other types of available work.
Age Rules and Getting Disability Under 50
The grid rules create a greater challenge for younger workers seeking disability benefits than faced by their older counterparts. Younger workers applying for disability under 50 have the ability to transition into types of work they may never have done before, at least according to the Social Security Administration.
Disability attorneys seeking SSDI approval younger workers must rely on medical evidence to prove the severity of the person’s condition and the limitations it imposes on their ability to do work activities. They may rely on vocational experts to prove how the limitations of a disabling medical condition affect the applicant’s ability to adjust to the types of work currently available in the national or regional economies.
How To Improve Your Chance Of Winning SSDI Under Age 50
Attempting to get disability before age 50 can be difficult, but you can improve your chances by having current medical records to support your claim. That means keeping appointments with your healthcare providers, taking prescribed medications, and following treatment plans.
Your disability attorney at Sackett and Associates will help by gathering the medical documentation and other evidence needed to prove the limitations caused by your medical condition. If necessary, your attorney may use a vocational expert to establish that the types of work available in your regional economy do not match the work-related activities you have the ability to do.
Contact A Skilled Social Security Disability Attorney
It’s hard to be approved for Social Security disability benefits regardless of how young or old you happen to be. Improve your chances of success with an accomplished disability lawyer from Sackett and Associates. No matter your age or where you live, our team of dedicated disability professionals can help you. Learn more during a free consultation and claim evaluation by contacting Sackett Law today.
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