If you are applying for Disability benefits and you are below the age of 50, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will consider whether there are jobs that exist in significant numbers in the national economy that you can perform despite your disabilities. It is not enough to show that you cannot do the work you have done in the past. While this is a high standard, it is certainly not impossible to prove.
Past the age of 50, the Social Security Administration recognizes that potential employers are less willing to train a new employee. The Social Security Administration, therefore, makes it easier for disabled individuals past the age of 50 to get benefits. If the Social Security ALJ finds that you are limited to sedentary work, you have not done sedentary work in the past 15 years, and you do not have vocational skills that transfer to sedentary jobs that exist in significant numbers in the national economy, you should be awarded benefits.
The rules change again once an individual reaches the age of 55. If the Social Security ALJ finds that you are limited to light work (a step above sedentary), you have not done light work in the past 15 years, and you do not have vocational skills that transfer to light jobs that exist in significant numbers in the national economy, you should be awarded benefits.
If you are above the age of 50 and are struggling to remain in the workforce, have a conversation with your doctor. If both you and your doctor feel Social Security Disability is a necessary path, the experienced Social Security Disability attorneys at Tanis Schultz would be happy to discuss your claim with you. The decision to apply for benefits is a difficult one, and you don’t need to go through the process on your own. The Social Security Disability attorneys at Tanis Schultz are here to help.