Generally, the higher your skill level, the harder it will be to win benefits
One of the factors that your Social Security Disability attorney will have to prove in order to be approved for Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits is that you are unable to perform your current job. In other words, your medical condition must be serious enough to impact your ability to do job-related tasks. However, even if you cannot perform your present job, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will still look at other types of work that you may be able to do. In order to make this determination, the SSA examines the skill level of your last position to list the other jobs that you might be able to do given your current medical condition.
Accurately describing your job functions is vital when applying for SSDI benefits, as this information will then be used by the SSA to assign a particular skill level to your work. Your Social Security Disability attorney can work with you to help you write out a description of the job duties that you performed and the amount of time that it took for you to learn your job duties.
There are three primary skill levels used by the SSA in making this evaluation. They are grouped by how long it takes to learn how to perform the work as well as the characteristics of the job itself. These categories are as follows:
- Unskilled: this type of labor requires little to no judgment and the performance of relatively simple tasks. Learning this type of work usually takes under a month, and often requires strength. Unskilled labor does not often help a worker gain specific employment skills.
Semi-Skilled: this work does not require complicated job functions, but does require job skills, such as the ability to pay attention to detail, coordination and manual dexterity. Jobs that require employees to perform repetitive tasks are often considered to be semi-skilled. These jobs typically require three to six months to learn. - Skilled: this type of work requires the use of some judgment, as well as knowledge of how to perform mechanical or manual tasks. Generally, this knowledge is used to either provide a service or create a product. Semi-skilled work may include jobs that require a person to work closely with other employees, or to work with ideas, facts or numbers.
The SSA uses a rating system known as the Specific Vocational Preparation, or SVP, that is based on that length of training that a worker received. Jobs are classified into one of the three categories above, with unskilled jobs requiring up to one month of training, semi-skilled jobs one to six months of training and skilled jobs over six months of training. Using the SVP for your past job or jobs, the SSA will determine if there is any other work that you can do, given your medical condition, that is either at the same skill level or lower. For this reason, the higher the skill level that you are assigned by the SSA, the harder it may be to be awarded benefits.
A seasoned Social Security Disability attorney can help you with your initial SSDI application and throughout the process. At PLBH, we have more than forty years of experience helping people with disabilities obtain benefits through the SSA process. Contact us today at (800) 435-7542 or info@plblaw.com to schedule a free initial consultation.