The 5 steps of SSDI sequential evaluation by the Social Security Administration (SSA) can help you and your attorney identify the factors that could cause a denial and build a strong case for reconsideration. SSA looks at financial eligibility, the degree of your impairment, whether it fits SSA’s criteria, your work history, and residual function capacity (RFC), i.e., can you perform any other job?
For SSDI applicants who seek reconsideration of denied applications, enlist the assistance of the attorneys for Social Security disability appeals at the Law Offices of Marc Whitehead & Associates. We are dedicated to ensuring our clients get the disability benefits they deserve. Our highly experienced disability attorneys have helped clients across the U.S. obtain the benefits they deserve even after an insurance company denied their initial claims. Call us for a free and confidential legal consultation.
Call or text (800) 562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
SSA’s 5-Step Disability Evaluation Process Overview
Steps 1 – 3: Are You Disabled According to Medical Standards?
As noted, understanding the five-step sequential evaluation by the SSA can help your disability attorney prepare a strong case and identify factors that could cause a denial.
The medical standards questions ask the following:
- Financial Eligibility. Is the applicant currently engaged in substantial gainful activity or employment? The SSA will conclude the applicant is engaged in substantial gainful activity (SGA) if they have monthly earnings of more than $1,550 or if the applicant is blind, more than $2,590.
- Severe Impairment. Does the applicant have a severe mental or physical impairment that lasts more than 12 consecutive months and cannot be controlled by drugs or other therapy?
- Impairment Criteria. Does the applicant’s impairment meet the severity of a defined medical or psychological listing? The SSA maintains an extensive listing of impairments that describes the types of disabilities that qualify an applicant for benefits.
Applicants whose initial claims are denied but believe they have a valid medical disability should contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney who can determine whether an application can be resubmitted with supplemental information and documentation to satisfy these criteria.
Steps 4 and 5 assess an applicant’s residual functional capacity (RFC), defined as an individual’s ability to handle sustained activities in a work setting regularly and continuously. In these steps, the SSA will evaluate the applicant’s ability to perform sedentary, light, or medium work by asking:
- Previous Employment. Can the applicant prove that they can no longer perform the work that the applicant did in the last 15 years, among other questions?
- Work Capacity. Can the applicant perform any other work that may be generally available considering their RFC, age, education, and past work experience?
In all cases, the SSA strives to evaluate all five steps according to objective standards, even though each step might also have subjective components that can affect being approved or denied.
A Social Security disability lawyer is an applicant’s best advocate to frame an application’s objective and subjective components in the best light for approval.
For a free legal consultation, call (800) 562-9830
Call the Law Offices of Marc Whitehead & Associates for a Free Consultation
We help clients gather, organize, and submit all the required information, documents, and materials that a disability insurance company requires to review a claim. We also manage communications with insurance companies and monitor insurance company practices that can delay the processing of a claim or cause a denial. We have helped hundreds of applicants get the disability benefits they are entitled to receive.
Please call our offices for a no-fee consultation about the information you need to provide to support your claim and the steps you will need to take. Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront or out-of-pocket fees. We only get paid if you do.
