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Social Security Disability Hearing: Past Work Inquiry and Importance

by | Dec 1, 2021 | SSD - Disability Hearings |

What past jobs you held or may have worked at prior to filing for Social Security Disability is an important issue. The issue of past work is important both prior to your hearing as well as at your hearing. To begin, prior to your hearing, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will have you fill out forms which ask you to list all jobs you have done in the past fifteen years. These forms often ask for other specific information such as the employer’s name, whether this job was full-time or part-time, hourly wage or salary amount, and physical requirements of the job. Additionally, at your hearing the administrative law judge will also likely ask you several questions regarding your past work. The judge will likely inquire whether a specific job was full-time or part-time, how long you were employed at that job, and your title and job duties. The judge will also inquire about the physical requirements of the job including how many hours out of the day you were standing versus sitting as well as the heaviest amount (in pounds) you were required to lift. While past work is in important issue that is addressed at every hearing, the past work inquiry and classification is extremely important in cases where the individual is age 50-54 and individuals over the age of 55. The burden of proving disability changes with each age category. Moreover, it is extremely important to be accurate and specific when answering these past work questions prior to and during your hearing. Therefore, it would be wise to work with an experienced law firm to learn how your past work may affect your Social Security Disability claim.

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