Social Security recognizes that as a person becomes older it can be more physically more difficult to perform other work. If you cannot do the type of work you have done in the past because of your physical and mental limitations, Social Security will determine whether there is any other type of work you could perform.  Social Security considers several factors including your age,education, transferable skills from your past and your residual functional capacity (RFC) to determine whether you could perform another type of work. Social Security rules are more favorable if you are over age 50 (and even more so at age 55) when deciding whether you can adjust to other work.  If you are over age 50 and cannot do the type of work you have done in the past, and are limited to" sedentary" work you could be found disabled even though a younger person with the same impairments might not be found disabled.If you are over age 55 and cannot do the type of work do the type of work your have done in the past and are limited to "light" work you could be found disabled. The other factor that is involved and has to be addressed is whether the job that you had in the past has transferable skills. If you have transferable skills that transfer to another that is less strenous and the same or lower skill level. If Social Secuirty makes a decision that you cannot  do other work  based only on physical limitations, age, education and transferablle skills then this is called a Medical-Vocational decision.

Timothy J. Cuddigan (Founder - Retired)
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Omaha Social Security and Veterans Disability Lawyer With Over 40 Years Experience