Some Factors Affecting SSD Eligibility: Age, Education And Skill Level Of Previous Work
When the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates your application for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, personnel at that agency will look at a variety of factors to determine whether you should be considered disabled or not disabled. Claim evaluators may look at how severe your disability is, how old you are, what your level of education or training was before you became disabled, and the skills that your previous line of work required.
Why does your age matter? The SSA’s medical-vocational guidelines take into account the realities of your situation, such as how close you are to retirement age, how realistic it is to expect you to retrain for another line of work if necessary, whether you are proficient in English and so on.
To maximize your likelihood of proving that you are, in fact, disabled, work closely with an experienced SSD attorney. At KBAR Legal Services, LLP, you will have access to lawyers who consider the big picture, including the impact of your age on your application or appeal in pursuit of SSD benefits.
How Your Age May Affect Your Prospects Of Working Again
The SSA looks not only at the medical aspects of your disability claim but also at whether you can reasonably engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) despite your condition. Part of an evaluation of your claim will include consideration of the level of exertion you are able to carry out, ranging from sedentary to light, medium or heavy exertion. Factors known as medical-vocational guidelines also take into account the time that it would take you to obtain more education to change occupations if necessary.
If you have a high school or college degree, you are normally considered more able to adapt to a change in occupation at the sedentary level – even rather late in life – than someone with less formal education. But someone of the same age with a work history involving physical work requiring higher levels of exertion may meet the “disabled” criteria.
If you are between 50-60 years old and have higher education, evaluators tend to expect you to be able to do some kind of sedentary work even if you have physical or mental disabilities. But if you are in that age range and have only done manual labor previously, the SSA may say after reviewing your condition that yes, you are disabled. The medical-vocational guidelines take age into account because of the retraining potential mentioned above as well as the type of work you could reasonably perform.
The SSD Lawyer You Work With Can Make A Great Difference
Years of legal experience together with a personalized approach give our SSD attorneys the depth of perception that it takes to maximize all factors in your application or appeal for benefits. At KBAR Legal Services, LLP, you will find well-thought-out strategies that go far beyond the mechanical completion of forms.
Discuss your SSD application or appeal in terms of your age, condition and other factors that may make the difference between an approval or denial of your disability claim. Call 317-550-3586 or send an email message to request a free consultation. From our office in Carmel, we serve clients throughout the Indianapolis area and elsewhere in western, central and Southern Indiana.