Exertional and Non-Exertional limitations are one of my favorite topics. Winning your Social Security Disability claim requires you to be an artist. You must paint a picture with your words about how your disability impacts your ability to function 24/7.

I ask my clients to fill out their Social Security disability paperwork by explaining in detail their day… from the time you get up till the time you go to bed. I want you to even explain the quality or lack of quality of your sleep.

Exertional abilities are sitting, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling. Think about your day 24/7 in terms of those abilities and explain from morning to night what limits you have on your exertional abilities.

The Administrative Law Judge hears “I am in pain” from everyone in the hearing room. What the Judge rarely hears is a story, in your own words, about how your disability impacts your exertional abilities so that Judge can see, in their own mind’s eye, what problems you have 24/7 in your physical functioning.

Be a Monet, Renoir, or Rembrandt with our words! For more information, and for more help with your claim, click here or call 727-894-3188.

Posted March 23rd 2008 to Benefits Overview | Comments (0)| Permalink | Trackback |  Print This Post |  Email This Post

Less than sedentary sounds like a math formula! Is there such as thing a residual functional capacity for less then sedentary work?

Social Security regulation 83-12 and 96-9p provides for a “significant compromise” of the sedentary occupational base by showing that jobs that have less than sedentary physical requirements exist in “significant numbers” in the national economy.

The key is to show that you have what is called exertional and/or non-exertional impairments that chip away or erode the occupational base.

One of the best ways to establish your job is less than sedentary or even less than light is the need to alternate sitting and standing. Social Security regulation SSR 83-12 provides that your need to alternate sitting and standing more frequently than breaks or lunch will prevent you from doing the full range of sedentary – i.e. less than sedentary.

Most jobs require you to sit, stand, or to be in a fixed position for a period of time to do the job. If you have to alternate between sitting and standing or even walking you may not be able to do the full range of sedentary work.

Another factor that will reduce you to less than sedentary work is the limited use of both hands from a condition like arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome.

If you are under 50 years old, the inability to do the full range of of sedentary and light work is key to winning your Social Security Disability claim. For more information, and for more help with your claim, click here or call 727-894-3188.

Posted March 23rd 2008 to Benefits Overview | Comments (0)| Permalink | Trackback |  Print This Post |  Email This Post

Age is an important factor in the application of the Grids. If you are under 50, the key is winning your claim for Social Security Disability is an inability to do both a wide range of sedentary and a wide range of light work.

Social Security Regulation (SSR) 83-10 defines sedentary work as lifting no more than 10 pounds at a time and occasionally lifting or carrying. You can only stand or walk up to 2 hours out of a 8 hour workday and sit a total of 6 hours out of a 8 hour workday. Good use of your hands and fingers is required. For more information, and for more help with your claim, click here or call 727-894-3188.

Posted March 23rd 2008 to Benefits Overview | Comments (0)| Permalink | Trackback |  Print This Post |  Email This Post

Social Security Regulation SSR 83-10 defines light work as lifting no more than 20 pounds at time with frequent lifting or carrying up to 10 pounds. Light work requires a great deal of walking or standing-standing or walking for as much as 6 hours out of an 8 hour workday. Sitting is intermittent.

A light job could also involve sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of your arm and hands or using leg and foot controls. For more information, and for more help with your claim, click here or call 727-894-3188.

Posted March 23rd 2008 to Benefits Overview | Comments (0)| Permalink | Trackback |  Print This Post |  Email This Post

Social Security Ruling SSR 83-10 defines medium work as lifting no more than 50 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 25 pounds. This requires frequent bending and stooping.

The full range of medium work requires you to stand or walk, off and on, for a total of 6 hours in a 8 hour day and use your arms and hands to grasp, hold, and turn objects.

One of the most important factors in medium work is being on your feet for most of the day and be able to do frequent lifting or carrying up to 25 pounds. For more information, and for more help with your claim, click here or call 727-894-3188.

Posted March 22nd 2008 to Benefits Overview | Comments (0)| Permalink | Trackback |  Print This Post |  Email This Post