How does Social Security evaluate your disability:

1. What is Disability?
   As defined by Social Security, Disability is the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.



2. The Five Step evaluation process use by Social Security to evaluate disability:



1. Is the claimant engaging in Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
   (working and earning over $930.00 a month)?



2. Does the claimant have a Severe Impairment?



3. Does the impairment Meet or Equal a listed impairment?



4. Does the impairment preclude a return to Past Relevant Work?



5. Does the impairment preclude performance of any other work?

Explanation of the Five Step Disability Evaluation Process:

1. Substantial Gainful Activity:
   For work to be considered SGA, it must be both Substantial and Gainful.
   
   Substantial is defined as the performance of significant physical or mental duties, or a combination of both, which are productive in nature.
   
   Gainful is defined as work performed for wages or profit. Work activity is gainful if it is the kind of work usually done for pay or profit, whether or not a profit is realized. Work can not exceed $930.00 a month.



2. Severe Impairment:
   A Severe Impairment is defined as an impairment which significantly limits an individuals physical or mental ability to perform basic work activities
   
   Basic work activities are:
   1. Exertional

      Walking	Lifting	Pushing
      Standing	Carrying	Pulling
      Sitting	Reaching	Handling

   2. Non-Exertional

      Seeing

      Hearing

      Speaking

   3. Mental
      
      
      1. Understanding, carrying out and remembering simple instructions.
      
      
      
      2. Use of judgement.
      
      
      
      3. Responding appropriately to supervision, co-workers and unusual work situations.
      
      
      
      4. Dealing with changes in a routine work setting.
      
      
   
   
   4. Symptoms, Signs, and Laboratory Findings
   
   
   A diagnosis alone cannot be considered to fulfill the guidelines of a Listed Impairment. To be considered a Listed Impairment, it must have the symptoms, clinical signs, and laboratory findings specified in the Listing.
   
   

   Symptoms:	Your own description of your physical or mental impairment.
   Signs:	Anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities which can be observed.
   Laboratory Findings:	Anatomical, physiological, or psychological phenomena which can be shown by the use of medically acceptable laboratory diagnostic techniques.

3. Listing of Impairments
   
   A person will be found Disabled if there is medical evidence of an impairment which either meets or equals in severity a Listed Impairment.
   
   The Listing of Impairments set forth, for each of 13 major body systems, specific symptoms, clinical signs, and laboratory findings of conditions of such severity as to preclude any gainful activity.



4. Past Relevant Work
   
   If you have a severe impairment, but one which does not meet a Listing, your ability to do work depends upon your residual functional capacity.
   
   If you can do your previous work, it will be determined that you are not disabled. However, if your residual functional capacity is not enough to enable you to do any of your previous work, it must be decided if you can do any other work.



5. Residual Functional Capacity (RFC)
   
   RFC is what you can still do despite your limitations. It is a medical assessment which includes your physical abilities, mental impairments and other impairments (vision, hearing, sensory, etc..). The assessmentis based on all of the medical evidence available, including assessments that may have been provided by treating physicians.
   
   The responsibility for assessing RFC rests with the State agency physicians or other physicians designated by the secretary. For cases at the Hearing Level, the responsibility for assessing RFC rests with the Administrative Law Judge.



6. Other Work
   
   If you can no longer do the work you have done in the past, it is necessary to determine if you can do other work which exists in significant numbers in the national economy. To determine if other work exists, the vocational factors of your age, education, and work experience will be considered.