STEP 1

The first step the SSA takes is to examine your work record. If you are presently working, their agents will calculate how much your earnings have averaged per month during the last year. As of 2017, if you are earning over $1170 monthly ($1950 if you are blind), Social Security considers you to be engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) and does not regard you as disabled. Unfortunately, this is true even if your injury or illness has significantly lowered your earning power.

STEP 2

The second step is an evaluation of the severity of your impairments. This is first accomplished by examining your medical records. In order for the SSA to consider you disabled, we must prove through medical evidence that your disability interferes with routine work-related activities. In addition, a standard of duration is applied. This means that in order to be declared fully disabled, medical professionals must expect you to be impaired for at least one year or to expect that your present condition will result in your death. As you can see, the government sets a high bar for being classified as disabled.

STEP 3

If, having examined your medical records, the SSA is still uncertain about your state of disability, your application will be sent on to the Disability Determination Services (DDS), a state-level agency under the Michigan Department of Health Services. A claims examiner at DDS will decide whether or not you meet their standards for disability.

STEP 4

In this step, your ability to do the work you did previously is assessed. Social Security will determine if your disability gets in the way of your ability to do the work you have done for the past 15 years. If your conditions cause you to be too limited to perform your typical work, you may be found disabled under special Medical-Vocational Rules depending on your age, education, and skill-set. However, even if your conditions prohibit you from working these jobs that you are used to, SSA will still move on to the fifth and final step.

STEP 5

The last step that the Social Security Administration takes in the disability evaluation process is to figure out whether you can do other types of work available despite the limitations you may have. In order to assess your ability to work, the agency will consider several important pertinent facts, such as: your age, your level of education, your past work experience, and whether you have transferable skills for other occupations. Most disability applications come down to this fifth and final step. You will want to make sure that your claim, from the beginning once your application is filed, contains sufficient information about your work history and background information so that nothing is missed that could improperly result in a denial of benefits.