Social Security Medical - Vocational Rules ("The Grids")

There are basically two ways of winning a Social Security Disability or SSI case:

(1) Your medical condition is so severe that it meets or equals the level of severity that Social Security has listed for that particular condition.

(2) You cannot physically or mentally do the easiest job you had during the 15 years before you became disabled and your age, education, past work experience, skills, and the amount of physical force you can do make it unlikely you can adjust to other work. Social Security uses a series of charts (or "grids") to determine whether under these medical - vocational rules you should be considered disabled.

The following charts are taken from the Social Security Disability medical - vocational rules. These charts, divided by age group, show the combination of factors that would result in approval of a Social Security claim for disability benefits.

The charts use the terms sedentary, light and medium to describe the amount of physical force (or exertion) that someone can do. Medium means that a person can lift 20 pounds frequently during an 8-hour workday and 50 pounds occasionally. Light means a person can lift 10 pounds frequently and 20 pounds occasionally. Sedentary means a person can only lift up to 10 pounds and cannot do a job that would require more than 2 hours of standing or walking during an 8-hour day.

Even if your situation does not fit the combinations set forth in these charts, you may still win your Social Security Disability or SSI Disability case if a vocational expert testifies at a hearing that the limitations imposed by your particular medical problems, combined with your age, education, work experience and skills, make it unlikely you could find a job.

Ages 45 to 49
Exertion	Education	Previous Work Experience
Sedentary	Illiterate or unable to communicate in English	Unskilled or none

Ages 50 to 54
Exertion	Education	Previous Work Experience
Sedentary	Limited or less	Unskilled or none
Sedentary	Limited or less	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Sedentary	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Unskilled or none
Sedentary	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Light	Illiterate or unable to communicate in English	Unskilled or none

Ages 55 to 59
Exertion	Education	Previous Work Experience
Sedentary	Limited or less	Unskilled or none
Sedentary	Limited or less	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Sedentary	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Unskilled or none
Sedentary	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Light	Limited or less	Unskilled or none
Light	Limited or less	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Light	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Unskilled or none
Light	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Medium	Limited or less	None

Ages 60 to 64
Exertion	Education	Previous Work Experience
Sedentary	Limited or less	Unskilled or none
Sedentary	Limited or less	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Sedentary	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Unskilled or none
Sedentary	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Light	Limited or less	Unskilled or none
Light	Limited or less	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Light	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Unskilled or none
Light	High school graduate or more-does not provide for direct entry into skilled work	Skilled or semiskilled-skills not transferable
Medium	Marginal or none	Unskilled or none
Medium	Limited or less	None

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Social Security Medical - Vocational Rules ("The Grids")

When You Need a Western Massachusetts or Connecticut Social Security Lawyer,

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY / SSI

Hartford Social Security Attorneys

Waterbury Social Security Attorneys

New Haven Social Security Attorneys

CT Social Security Disability Attorneys

Springfield, MA Social Security Attorneys

Disability Attorneys / Children's SSI Attorneys

Spanish Spoken, Hablamos Espanol

Portuguese Spoken, Falamos Portugues

Serrano & Serrano, LLC Connecticut Attorneys

Serrano & Serrano, LLC
Connecticut Attorneys