Floridians who are applying for Social Security Disability benefits will have to prove to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that they are not able to perform any other kinds of work than the work they might have done previously. When this is taken into account, age will be examined and placed into certain contexts to assist the SSA in coming to a decision. Claimants who are seeking SSD benefits must have an understanding of how age is factored in with these circumstances.
A person’s age will be considered with the residual functional capacity, how educated the claimant is, and the work experience he or she has. The SSA does not base an applicant’s ability to adjust to other forms of work solely on age. When the age is considered in terms of adjusting to other forms of work, a person who is of advancing age will have that judged as a growing, limiting factor in an attempt to adjust to other kinds of employment.
A person who is under the age of 50 will generally be viewed as a person whose age will not have a significant influence on adjusting to other kinds of work. In some situations, however, a person who is between the ages of 45 and 49 might have more limitations in adjusting to other kinds of work than someone who is not yet age 45.
Those who are reaching the point where their age is considered advanced – ages 50 to 54 – will have their age, a severe impairment and limited work experience viewed as a potentially negative affect on adjusting to other kinds of work. People who are age 55 or older will be categorized as those whose age will have a significant affect on being able to adjust to other kinds of work. There are other rules for those who are in this category and are heading toward retirement age of 60 and older.
An inability to work due to a disability is frequently part of the process of receiving SSD benefits. Before approving disability benefits to a claimant, however, the SSA must determine if other kinds of work can be done with the particular disability. When this is an issue for a claimant, speaking to an attorney about disability benefits can be helpful.
Source: SSA.gov, “Step 5: Can You Do Any Other Type Of Work? — How do you consider age?,” accessed on Dec. 20, 2015