Social Security Disability
If you become disabled
and cannot work, you can file for social security disability benefits.
Benefits are awarded based on the disability's impact on the claimant's
ability to work (or, in the case of minor children, their ability to engage
in various age-appropriate activities).
For social security disability
and ssi disability claims involving physical health problems, the examiner
will evaluate a claimant's past work history and determine if the claimant
can perform any of those previous tasks.
If
the examiner finds that the claimant is not capable of engaging in past work,
the examiner will move on to the next step in the evaluation process to ascertain
if the claimant is capable of doing "other work".
Other work is ordinarily a range of jobs for which a social security disability
claimant might be considered suitable based on current physical capabilities
and past work skills.
However, when social security disability examiners
look at claims for social security benefits based on disability, the process
becomes significantly more detailed than just looking at these two issues.
In deciding which type of work a claimant might still be capable of performing,
and considering the claimant's current physical capabilities with regard
to that prospect, the disability examiner will also review a whole range
of physical issues. For instance, based on a review of the claimant's medical
evidence, how well can the claimant perform overhead reaching, or finger
movements?
If the medical
issues involved include degenerative disease such as arthritis in the extremities,
the ability to raise one's arms to shoulder level or higher might be significantly
impaired, as well as might be the ability to use the hands in an intricate
fashion. If that's the case, a claimant could not reasonably be expected
to hold a job for which either the ability to reach overhead, or employ a
significant level of finger dexterity, is required. Such a claimant would
liklley be awarded social security disability benefits.
However, such physical restrictions will be enough to relieve
a claimant from doing past work yet will nonetheless result in a claimant
being denied due to a determination that they are capable of performing
a type of other work that is not ruled out by their physical restrictions.
To gain social
security disability benefits, an examiner looks for sufficient and recent
medical evidence that supports an individual's claim that they are not capable
of performing any work they did in the past or any other reasonable work
and that this incapacity has lasted, or will last for
a period of not less than twelve full months.
Summary Knowing
how to manage your finances, even your social security decisions, is a
challenge. You
can find other related information in our blog Retirement
Income.
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