Disability Claims 55 and Older

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THE BOTTOM LINE: Are you looking for the bottom line on disability benefits? No confusing jargon, just simple facts. Michael Liner is here to help! Today, he tackles the topic: Disability Claims 55 and Older

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Katie Nobles:
Hi, I'm Katie Nobles
Michael Liner:
And I'm disability attorney Michael Liner.
Katie Nobles:
And you are watching the bottom line. Today's topic, disability claims 55 and older. So Michael, explain what this topic means to us today.
Michael Liner:
Sure. So the reason why I want to focus this video on people who are applying for disability, who are age 55 and over is that social security has special rules that are called grid rules. Sometimes they're called medical vocational rules. And what they say is that when somebody has attained the age of 55, you don't have to prove that there's no work at all that you can do in order to receive disability benefits. What you have to prove is that you can't do your past work or any work that you've acquired skills that you would transfer to lighter work, but you have to prove that you can't do that and that you can't do any more than what's considered light work. Okay. Light work under social securities regulations is lifting 20 pounds, occasionally and 10 pounds frequently. Okay. And generally standing and walking for six out of eight hours in a day.
Michael Liner:
Okay. So here's the key thing. Okay. If you are 55 or older, when you're going to the doctor, I want you to really, even if it doesn't feel like you have very significant physical health issues, first of all, every single time you go, I don't care what age you are. You should still be doing this. Always be reminding your doctors about your physical health ailments. Even if it's an achy back, if you have diabetes and it's, you know, you're feeling a little bit in your fingertips, whatever's going on, always be describing it. Okay. But here's the significant thing. I want to look at this in the inverse, because one level up from what's called light work is medium work. And here's what medium work is. Medium work is lifting 50 pounds occasionally up to a third of the Workday, two and a half hours a day and 25 pounds frequently, two and a half five and a half hours a day.
Michael Liner:
So if I can prove that somebody who is 55 or over can't lift 50 pounds for up to two and a half hours a day, or, and here's the one that, I mean, mentally think about this, can't lift 25 pounds for up to five and a half hours a day. Okay. Imagine lifting one of those huge 24 packs of water bottles for five and a half hours a day, then they're disabled under social securities regulations if it's because of a physical health challenge that they can't do that. So always be complaining about your health, your physical health ailments to your doctors. Cause it's not that big of a barrier to get across to be able to help somebody get disability benefits. But if you're not talking to your doctors about it, I'm not gonna have the documentation that I need to make that link.
Katie Nobles:
That's right. We need it in the record. Right?
Michael Liner:
We always need tho those records, Katie.
Katie Nobles:
Absolutely. And you can find more tips on our website and you can also submit your own questions. That's linerlegal.com.