Under Medical-Vocational Rules, how is the Determination of Whether I am Disabled Made?

A decision-maker determines whether a claimant is “disabled” for purposes of Social Security disability benefits using a table that considers the claimant’s age, education, work experience, and “residual functional capacity” (RFC).  The decision- maker simply looks up the claimant’s combination of these four factors, and the table indicates whether the claimant is disabled.

RFC is a measure of a claimant’s ability to do work-related activities and is evaluated by the Social Security Administration (SSA) using an RFC assessment.  Once the RFC assessment is completed, the SSA decides whether the claimant is capable of doing any of the jobs he or she has done in the past fifteen years.  If the claimant is not, the claimant’s RFC is classified as either “sedentary,” “light,” or “medium.”  This classification, combined with the claimant’s age, education, and work experience, leads to the final categorization of the claimant as either disabled or not disabled.  Even if the SSA’s table indicates you are not disabled, a Chattanooga Social Security disability attorney may be able to develop arguments to reverse the decision on appeal.

How Does the Social Security Administration Evaluate Drug Addiction?

The SSA evaluates a claimant’s drug addiction by determining whether it is “material” to the claimant’s disability.  Addiction is material if its cessation would enable a claimant to continue working.  For example, if a claimant’s alcoholism causes the claimant to develop disabling cardiovascular disease, the alcoholism will be deemed material if the claimant would be able to continue working if he or she stopped drinking.  If, on the other hand, the claimant will remain disabled regardless of whether he or she stops drinking, the alcoholism is considered immaterial.  If a claimant’s addiction is determined to be material, he or she will found not disabled and will not be eligible for benefits.  If you are denied benefits because your addiction is considered “material,” a Chattanooga Social Security attorney may be able to assist you in appealing the denial of benefits.

If you need professional assistance with your disability benefits appeal, please contact Chattanooga Social Security disability attorneys.