Why Does Social Security Disability Inquire About Your Previous Jobs?
Category: Disability Law
- 07 Jun 2019
- Posted By admin
Some people wonder why SSDI inquires about their previous employment, ie., the types of jobs they have had and how long they have worked them. They usually want to know the previous 15 years of history. Some clients have asked why they do this.
Basically they want to see the types of jobs you worked and how your disability prevents you from working those or similar jobs. If the disability examiner determines that you can still perform your previous job, your claim can be denied. If previous jobs cannot be performed, the SSA will determine if skills you used on previous jobs can be transferred to a new line of work.
If you are denied for the reasons mentioned above you can appeal and get an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. There will be a Vocational Expert (VE) present to explain why they came to their original conclusion. This is also where you and/or your attorney can present the case that you are not able to perform the work which they think you are capable.
This process can be very intricate so it is imperative that you and your representative have all the facts together. You will want to create records of how much you have had to lift at previous jobs vs. what you are able to lift now. You will want to list if your work was considered “skilled” or “unskilled”. And you will want to present evidence of special tasks you had to perform that you may no longer able to do.
Having an experiences attorney during this process is very important. You will want to go into this hearing process 100% prepared.