Does My Age Matter to My Disability Claim?

One of the requirements to being found disabled is that you must be unable to any of your past jobs from the last 15 years, or any other jobs that exist in significant numbers. A Novi Social Security disability attorney will be able to help you determine if you will qualify. One of the key considerations that will be taken into account is the applicant’s age, as the rules get more lenient for claimants who are 55 and over.

How do the Medical Vocational Guidelines Affect My Claim?

The Medical Vocational Guidelines are the rules used by the Social Security Administration to determine what work you are capable of doing. The Guidelines recognize that older applicants and those with more severe medical conditions are more limited in what they are capable of and how hard it will be for them to adjust a new job.

If you are 55 or older, and cannot do anything but unskilled light work, Social Security is required under the Guidelines to presume that you cannot adapt to any other work that might exist, due to your old age. An experienced Novi Social Security disability attorney might be able to use these presumptions to help you win benefits.

What About Past Relevant Work?

However, before you can get this presumption under the Medical Vocational Guidelines, the agency will evaluate your ability to do your past relevant work. This means all the jobs that you have held during the last 15 years (specifically, those jobs you held long enough to learn how to perform). If you are deemed able to do any of your past relevant work, your claim will be denied at that step and you will not reach the step where you might be presumed unable to work due to your age.

For this reason, disability claimants who are 55 and older should have the help of an experienced Novi Social Security disability attorney, who can try to prove that you are unable to perform any of your past relevant work. For help with your Social Security disability claim, contact Novi Social Security disability attorneys, J.B. Bieske and Jennifer Alfonsi, Attorneys at Law, by calling 800-331-3530 for a free consultation.