SSDRC




What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI?

How do you Win Benefits under Social Security Disability or SSI?

If I am determined disabled, how far back will Social Security pay benefits?

How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition?

What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits

Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of Social Security Disability or SSI Benefits

How to File for Disability - Tips for Filing

If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare?

How much does a Social Security disability attorney get paid?

Social Security Disability SSI Criteria and the Evaluation Process

How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability?

What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability SSI and Fibromyalgia

Social Security Disability SSI and Degenerative Disc Disease

Can I Qualify For Disability and Receive Benefits based on Depression?

Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability

What Disabilities Qualify for SSI and Social Security Disability Benefits?

Social Security Disability Status

Social Security Disability Tips — how a claim gets worked on

Social Security Disability, SSI Disability - Terms, Definitions, Concepts


Vocational expert at a disability hearing - what is this


How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits


 
Vocational experts are vocational rehabilitation professionals who meet the qualifications of the Social Security Administration. Vocational experts provide vocational advice to disability adjudicators from the initial disability claims level through the administrative law judge hearing level. For the purposes of this discussion, we will review the vocational experts role in the administrative law judge disability hearing.

Prior to scheduling your disability hearing, an administrative law judge will review your disability file and form an opinion as to your ability to perform your past relevant work with the functional limitations established by the medical evidence in your disability file.

The administrative law judge must first consider if your impairment, or impairments, meet or equal a medical listing. If you do not meet the criteria of any medical listing (in the disability listing book), you may be a candidate for an allowance based upon medical and vocational factors.

What do I mean by this? Social Security has Medical Vocational guidelines that must be considered when determining an individual’s disability. What do the Social Security medical vocational guidelines address? Social Security disability medical vocational decisions are based upon an individual’s residual functional capacity (what you are able to do in spite your medical and/or mental impairments), age, education, and work experience.

How do does Social Security determine the exertional and skill requirements of your past work? Social Security uses the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), which describes various types of work as they are performed in the national economy. The DOT describes the exertional requirements as well as the skill demands of a particular job.

So now you may be wondering what does this have to with a vocational expert being present at my disability hearing? If you are sent a letter stating that the judge will have a vocational expert present at your hearing, it may mean he has decided that you cannot perform your past work with the limitations of your impairments. Therefore, the administrative law judge must now decide if you will be able to perform "other work". This is where the vocational expert is useful due to the complexities of vocational determinations. How does the administrative law judge garner the vocational advice from the vocational expert at your disability hearing? Generally, the administrative law judge will direct a hypothetical question to the vocational expert.

The question may be something like this:

Given this individual’s functional limitations, do you feel there are other jobs that could be performed by this individual in the national economy? Often the vocational expert's answer in this situation will determine the outcome of the hearing. Consequently, individuals who receive a letter stating that there will be a vocational expert present at their hearing may wish to seek qualified representation in the form of an experienced disability lawyer.















Return to:  SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page












Individual Questions and Answers


  • The Qualification Criteria for Social Security Disability

  • Social security disability application

  • Is getting social security disability easier for mental or physical problems?

  • Will SSD Be Based On Newer Or Older Medical Records?

  • Questions about Disability Lawyers and Hiring a Disability Attorney

  • What does SSA consider a severe impairment for Social Security Disability or SSI Disability Benefits?

  • Applying for disability benefits in Illinois

  • If You are Denied for Disability, What Should You do First?

  • Does The Social Security Disability Reconsideration Have A Time Limit?

  • What is the Chance of Winning an SSA appeal for disability?

  • Social security disability children

  • To qualify for Social Security disability or SSI, how severe must a condition be?

  • If you are applying for Social Security disability when does Medicare start ?

  • Who is eligible for SSI Disability?

  • If I get disability will my children receive benefits ?

  • ADHD, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

  • Social Security Disability And SSI Qualifications - What is the examiner looking for?

  • How Much Do You Get For Disability If You Are Awarded Benefits?

  • You cannot get a Social Security Disability or SSI award if you don't provide SSA what is needed

  • Disability Benefits and Being Severely Disabled

  • Social Security Disability Mental Testing

  • Can You qualify for Social Security disability or SSI on the basis of anxiety or panic attacks ?

  • Will I Qualify For SSI, How Do I Get Approved?

  • How does work qualify you for disability ?

  • Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Virginia

  • Who qualifies to Claim Disability Benefits under the SSD or SSI program?

  • How much does Social Security pay in disability benefits ?

  • Is there a trick to qualifying for disability benefits with social security?

  • Fibromyalgia and disability

  • Does Social Security Hold Back The First five Months Of Back Pay?

  • How do you Apply for SSI?

  • Can You Appeal A Decision By A Judge On A Social Security Disability or SSI Case?

  • How Long Will It Take For A Decision Letter For Social Security Disability?

  • Social Security Disability SSI and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
























    SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

    The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

    Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

    Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

    Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

    Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials