Social Security released EM-24026, entitled: Isolated Occupations We Will Not Use to Support a “Not Disabled” Finding at Step Five of the Sequential Evaluation Process and EM-24027, entitled: Guidance Regarding the Citation of Certain Occupations at Step Five of the Sequential Evaluation Process.

These two Emergency Messages are steps toward addressing the outdated occupational data from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (last updated in 1991) that is used to determine whether or not the claimant can perform “other work” at Step 5 of Social Security’s sequential evaluation.

Of the two EMs, the second is the most important. The 13 unskilled occupations listed in EM-24027 are often cited at Step 5 in support of disability denials.