This is the second installment in the blog series titled “Classifying the Physical Demands of Occupations.” When evaluating a claim for Social Security disability benefits and/or Supplemental Security Income the Social Security Administration (SSA) must classify the physical demands of your past relevant work and potentially the physical demands of other jobs that exist in the national economy. To do this the SSA relies on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and its companion publication, the Selected Characteristics of Occupations (SCO).
The physical demands of occupations are evaluated in relationship to twenty different factors. Two of the factors used are “Climbing” and “Balancing”. The SCO notes either the presence or absence of “Climbing” and “Balancing” in every job that potentially exists in the national economy. If either of these activities is required, the SCO will rate the frequency under one of three categories: occasionally (activity exists up to 1/3 of the time); frequently (activity exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time); or constantly (activity exists 2/3 or of the time).
Climbing typically refers to “ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like using feet and legs or hands and arms.” An example of a job that requires occasional climbing would be a Real Estate Sales Agent. In order to perform the job duties of a Real Estate Sales Agent, one would typically require the ability to occasionally ascend and descend stairways while showing houses.
Balancing is described as “maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing, crouching, or running on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces; or maintaining body equilibrium when performing gymnastic feats.” A majority of jobs that exist in the national economy do not require “Balancing” as defined in the SCO. Jobs that typically do require some degree of “Balancing” are construction jobs and some equipment operating jobs.
If a claimant’s impairment results in a limitation in either “Climbing” or “Balancing” it is essential for the Social Security Administration to determine if these activities are required in that claimant’s past relevant work and possibly other jobs that exist in the national economy.
