SSA Grid Rules Explained

If your impairment does not meet or equal a listing, the Social Security Administration’s medical-vocational rules or Grid rules come into play. SSA Grid rules may help disability applicants that are 50 years old or older get approved for Social Security Disability benefits if they do not have useful job skills or the job skills they have are not transferable skills.

Once a person is 50 years old, if they cannot perform their past work, but can perform sedentary, unskilled work, they win their claim!

What Are SSA Grid Rules and How Do They Affect Whether Social Security Will Find Me Disabled?

The Grid rules are one way you can get approved for disability benefits through a medical-vocational allowance. Social Security uses a grid of medical-vocational guidelines to determine whether applicants of a certain age should be found disabled, also known as the Grids.

The Social Security Administration believes that a younger worker has a greater ability to transition to a new work environment than an advanced-age worker. The SSA describes this transition as a vocational shift or vocational adjustment. Therefore, it becomes easier to get approved for disability benefits with age, particularly if you are 50 years old or older, which is categorized by the SSA as closely approaching advanced age.

Grid Factors

The Grid rules use the following factors to determine if you are disabled:

• Your age
• Your education level
• The skill level of your past work
• Whether you have any transferrable skills, and
• Your residual functional capacity.

Age Group

When applying the Grid rules the SSA uses the following age groups:

• Younger individuals (18 through 49)
• Closely approaching advanced age (50 to 54)
• Advanced age (55 and over), and
• Closely approaching retirement age (60 and over).

Education Level

The SSA also considers a claimant’s education level, as they know that it is harder for those with limited education to find jobs they are qualified for. Each claimant will be divided into one of the following age categories:

• High school education (meaning a high school graduate) or more, plus recent training for direct entry into skilled work
• High school education (again meaning a high school graduate) or more, without recent training for direct entry into skilled work
• Limited education (generally 11th grade and below, which excludes high school graduates), and
• Unable to read and write (illiterate unskilled workers).

Skilled or Semiskilled Past Relevant Work

The Social Security Administration will categorize your past work history as unskilled work, semiskilled work, or skilled work based on the description you provide in your application for benefits, your subsequent Work History Report (Form SSA-3369-BK ), and how the skill level required for your past jobs is classified by the Department of Labor (DOL).

Claimants who are classified as unskilled workers are more likely to be found disabled under the Grid rules than those with skilled or semiskilled skills (especially as they get closer to advanced age or retirement age).

What Are Examples of Unskilled Work, Semiskilled Work, and Skilled Work?

Unskilled Work

Unskilled occupations are the least complex types of work. Jobs are unskilled when persons can usually learn to do them in 30 days or less. Examples of unskilled jobs include working as a parking lot attendant, cleaner or janitor, construction laborer, or fast food worker.

Semiskilled Work

Semiskilled occupations are more complex than unskilled work and simpler than skilled jobs. They contain more variables and require more judgment than unskilled occupations. The content of work activities in some semiskilled jobs may be little more than unskilled. Examples of semi-skilled jobs include waiters and bartenders, security guards, flight attendants, and truck drivers.

Skilled Work

Skilled occupations are more complex and varied. They require more training time and often higher educational attainment. Skilled job examples include healthcare workers, construction skilled laborers, and child care providers.

Transferable Skilled or Semiskilled Skills

If your past work was skilled or semi-skilled then the SSA will consider whether you acquired skills transferable to or that would be relevant in another occupation, also called transferable skills. However, skilled or semiskilled skills may also be so specific that they do not transfer to another position. These skills will not be considered transferable.

Residual Functional Capacity

The Grid rules rely on your residual functional capacity (RFC), which is your remaining ability to do certain job-related activities on a regular and sustained (full-time) basis. The different categories of RFC include:

• Sedentary work
• Light work
• Medium work
• Heavy work, or
• Very heavy work.

The heavier your RFC, the harder it will be to get your disability claim approved under the Grid rules.

What Are The Physical Exertion Requirements for Each Category?

Sedentary Work

Sedentary work such as office work requires that you be able to lift 10 lbs., stand or walk for 2 hours in an 8-hour day and that you be able to sit for 6 hours in an 8-hour day.

Light Work

Light work such as housekeeping requires that you be able to lift 20 lbs., stand or walk for 6 hours in an 8-hour day and that you be able to sit for 2 hours in an 8-hour day.

Medium Work

Medium work such as patient care work requires that you be able to lift 50 lbs., stand or walk for 6 hours in an 8-hour day and that you be able to sit for 2 hours in an 8-hour day.

Heavy Work

Heavy work such as a skilled construction job requires that you be able to lift 100 lbs., stand or walk for 6 hours in an 8-hour day and that you be able to sit for 2 hours in an 8-hour day.

Very Heavy Work

Very heavy work such as an unskilled construction job requires that you be able to lift over 100 lbs., stand or walk for 6 hours in an 8-hour day and that you be able to sit for 2 hours in an 8-hour day.

Residual Functional Capacity Forms

The SSA will determine your RFC based on the medical evidence submitted in support of your claim for disability benefits, such as office visit notes, surgical notes, or an RFC form.

It is helpful if your treating provider provides a detailed assessment of your exertional limitations as well as your non-exertional limitations. We provide our clients with specific RFC forms that help to show what, if any, work duties you are able to physically perform.

Using the Grids to Determine If You Will Be Approved for Disability Benefits

To see how the SSA would apply the Grid rules to your case, first find the table that addresses your RFC level, then find the row that describes your age group, educational level, and your past work experience. The final column in the table shows how the SSA will decide your claim based on these factors. Here are two tables from the SSA Grid rules:

201.00 Maximum Sustained Work Capability Limited To Sedentary Work As A Result Of Severe Medically Determinable Impairment(s)

Table No. 1 – Residual functional capacity: Maximum sustained work capability limited to sedentary work as a result of severe medically determinable impairment(s).

202.00 Maximum Sustained Work Capability Limited To Light Work As A Result Of Severe Medically Determinable Impairment(S)

Table No. 2 – Residual functional capacity: Maximum sustained work capability limited to light work as a result of severe medically determinable impairment(s).

Are There Other Ways to Win Benefits?

It is possible to get approved for Social Security Disability benefits even if the Grid rules indicate that someone in your situation is not disabled. Impairments that are not related to your physical capacity to perform work, such as mental health conditions or difficulty with fine motor skills (use of your hands and fingers), may be severe enough to win your case. Having multiple medical conditions may also help.

Many of these claims will be denied, so you may need to appeal (often more than once) to get approved. Working with an experienced disability lawyer may help you improve your chances of winning your case.

Work with a Social Security Disability Attorney

You should not give up if your initial disability claim is denied, or even if your first appeal is denied. Many claimants’ disability claims are not approved until they reach the hearing level and have an opportunity to attend a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.

Nick Ortiz is a Social Security Disability attorney who has spent many years working for people with disabilities. With years of experience, he understands the Grid rules and how they apply to older workers, and he knows what medical evidence is required by the SSA to secure a favorable decision so that you can receive cash benefits.

To get help with your claim, contact us through this website or call us at (888) 321-8131. Ortiz Law Firm helps claimants with their initial claims for benefits, will appeal denied claims, and we will request a hearing for you as well. We offer a free consultation to get started, and even after you enter an attorney-client relationship, there is no fee at all unless you win your claim.