What’s Different About a Disability Claim After Age 50?
When you apply for Social Security Disability after age 50, your age is a factor in determining whether you’ll get approved. It can be easier to get disability benefits over 50.
But age isn’t the only important part of your disability benefits application.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has its own set of criteria for evaluating claims. These are called the “medical-vocational guidelines.” People sometimes call these “the grid rules.”
The grid rules take all of these factors into account:
- Your age
- Your residual functional capacity, or RFC
- The skills you needed for your past work
- Whether you have learned skills that can transfer to another job
- Your education level
Your age matters, but you still need to do a lot of work to convince the SSA that you need benefits. The Slepian Ellexson Phoenix disability lawyers can help with that.
Workers with more years behind them can use their backgrounds to make it clear that their health problems not only stop them from continuing in their past jobs, but they rule out making the transition to different jobs, too.
Our Arizona disability attorneys know how the disability benefit rules work for people over 50 and how to build this case for you.
If your medical problems make it impossible to work and you’re not old enough to take retirement benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can help you support yourself and focus on your health.
The lawyers at Slepian Ellexson helped thousands of people in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Tucson, and across Arizona when they needed benefits.
Now we’re ready to help you with your application.
Understanding How Social Security Evaluates Disability Claims Over 50
When an examiner from Social Security evaluates your disability claim, they are going to need to see three things:
- Your health problems force you to stop working.
- Your health problems also make it impossible to switch jobs.
- Your medical issues are going to last 12 months or more.
You have to prove these points with hard evidence. It can be difficult to meet the SSA’s standards, but your age plays an important role.
Social Security sorts people applying for disability benefits into one of these age groups:
- Age 18-49: Younger individuals
- Age 50-54: Closely approaching advanced age
- Age 55-59: Advanced age
- Age 60 and older: Closely approaching retirement age
When an examiner evaluates other parts of your application, like your education level, the skills your previous jobs required, and what kinds of skills you have that can be transferred if you work in another field, they’ll keep your age in mind.
Social Security will also look at your residual functional capacity (RFC) to see what kind of work you might be capable of, ranging from sedentary to very heavy work.
Your RFC is an assessment, done with a review of your medical records and medical opinions in your file, of the core physical and mental tasks you can still do despite your impairments.
Age can have an effect on your daily functioning. If someone applies for disability after age 50, the SSA is going to understand that they could have a harder time transitioning to a new job than someone in their 20s or 30s.
This doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to win benefits. Your age won’t just automatically qualify you for disability.
If you have transferable skills, and it seems like you could do sedentary or light work, you still might get denied for disability, even if you’re 50, 55 or 60 years old.
You have to put together a compelling claim, and our Arizona disability attorneys have plenty of experience doing this.
Schedule a FREE consultation with our team.
Can a Lawyer Help Me Get Social Security Disability After Age 50?
Most applications for Social Security Disability get denied initially, even if you’re applying for SSDI after age 50.
That’s why you should work with an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer.
Our disability attorneys don’t just help you fill out forms. They support you throughout the entire process.
We will:
- Take the time to really understand your case
- Help you avoid mistakes that could delay or endanger your claim
- Identify important evidence that could strengthen your claim
- Work with your doctors to get opinions regarding your ability to work
- Argue that you’re unable to perform any job, not just your most recent one
- Answer questions that you have along the way
- Keep you aware of important deadlines
- Assist you with an appeal, if necessary
- Represent you at your disability hearing
- Cross-examine expert witnesses at your hearing
You shouldn’t leave your disability claim to chance. Your financial stability is too important.
If you’re applying for Social Security Disability after 50, our Arizona disability lawyers want to help you regain your independence and peace of mind.
We’ve been assisting people of all ages with their SSDI claims for more than 40 years. You’ll work directly with a disability lawyer who can give your claim the personal attention it deserves.
During this entire process, from determining if you qualify to filing appeals, you won’t pay an attorney’s fee until you win benefits.
