An impairment is some condition or diagnosis that limits a person’s ability to function. This impairment can be of the physical nature, but it can also be intellectual or mental health related. When applying for Social Security disability Social Security wants to know what impairments are keeping a claimant from being gainfully employed and why it entitles them to disability benefits. Below we take a closer look at how Social Security analyses an impairment for the purposes of the Social Security disability process.
Existence of an impairment
By law, SSA needs specific medical evidence to establish that a claimant has an impairment. SSA regulations require “objective medical evidence” from an “acceptable medical source” to establish that a claimant has a medically determinable impairment. The regulations define these terms.
Severity
Once the existence of an impairment is established, SSA considers all evidence from all medical and nonmedical sources to assess the extent to which a claimant’s impairment(s) affects his or her ability to function in a work setting; or in the case of a child, the ability to function compared to that of children the same age who do not have impairments. Nonmedical sources include, but are not limited to: the claimant, educational personnel, public and private social welfare agency personnel, family members, caregivers, friends, neighbors, employers, and clergy.
Claimant’s Responsibilities
A claimant must inform SSA about or submit all evidence known to him or her that relates to whether or not he or she is blind or disabled. This duty is ongoing and requires the claimant to disclose any additional related evidence about which he or she becomes aware throughout the administrative review process. The evidence must be complete and detailed enough for SSA to determine:
- The nature and severity of the claimant’s impairment(s),
- How long the claimant has experienced the impairment(s), and
- Whether the claimant can still do work-related physical and mental activities with the impairment(s).
Evidence Relating to Symptoms
In developing evidence of the effects of symptoms, such as pain, shortness of breath, or fatigue, on a claimant’s ability to function, SSA investigates all avenues presented that relate to the complaints. These include evidence about:
- the claimant’s daily activities;
- the location, duration, frequency, and intensity of the pain or other symptom;
- precipitating and aggravating factors;
- the type, dosage, effectiveness, and side effects of any medication;
- treatments, other than medications, for the relief of pain or other symptoms;
- any measures the claimant uses or has used to relieve pain or other symptoms; and
- other factors concerning the claimant’s functional limitations due to pain or other symptoms.
In assessing the claimant’s pain or other symptoms, SSA considers all of the above-mentioned factors. It is important that medical sources address these factors in the reports they provide.
