Welcome! This site is written for Social Security disability claimants, for their legal representatives, and for the network of people involved in the Social Security disability claim process. I hope you find it helpful.
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I have a hearing today with one of the new judges in Manchester, New Hampshire for a claim involving work under special conditions

Social Security’s regulations discuss work activity in 20 C.F.R. 404.1573, and work under “special conditions” is covered in 404.1573(c):

If your work is done under special conditions, we may find

Social Security classifies the physical exertion requirements of jobs as sedentary, light, medium, heavy and very heavy. See 20 C.F.R. 404.1567. Social Security gives those terms the same meaning as they have in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

The light exertional level involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with

A client recently retained me after receiving an inital denial of his Social Security disability claim. He over 55 years old, and can no longer do his past relevant work, partly due to knee and ankle problems resulting from an old injury.

I have reviewed the disability claim file, and he was denied disability because

What is the sedentary exertional level for Social Security disability?

Social Security classifies the physical exertion requirements of jobs as sedentary, light, medium, heavy and very heavy. See 20 C.F.R. 404.1567. Social Security gives those terms the same meaning as they have in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

The sedentary exertional level involves lifting

At a Social Security disability hearing, sometimes it is very clear that the claim should be granted. In such cases, a bench decision is available to the administrative law judge. A bench decision must be a fully favorable decision.

For a bench decision, the judge sets forth his reasons for granting the claim orally "from the bench"

An award of disability benefits under the Social Security disability insurance program comes with Medicare insurance. But not right away. Rather, the insurance begins two years after your date of entitlement. Your date of entitlement is your onset date plus the 5 month Title II waiting period.

In a typical disability case, that