Social Security Disability and Age

If you are applying for Social Security Disability benefits, you are over 50 and can no longer work, then SSA must take your age into consideration.

If you are over 50 years old and are limited to unskilled sedentary work, Social Security will presume that you are unable to transition to other work due to your age. This can make a huge difference in a claim. A person limited to unskilled sedentary work may lose his disability case at age 48, but will win it at age 50.

At age 55, it gets even better. A claimant limited to unskilled light exertional work is presumed to be unable to transition to other work. An experienced attorney can use these presumptions to help win your disability case.

It is very important to remember that you do not get the benefit of these rules until step 5 of the disability evaluation process. So it is critical to rule out your past relevant work at step 4.

If you are wondering if your medical condition is severe enough to receive disability benefits contact one of our Michigan Social Security Disability attorneys for a free case evaluation.