Social Security Disability Process: The Five-Step Sequential Evaluation Process

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a five-step sequential evaluation process to evaluate Social Security disability applications and determine whether the claimant is entitled to receive disability benefits. To be awarded disability benefits, you need to make sure you provide the SSA with the necessary documentation and information as required in the sequential evaluation process. To make sure you meet all the requirements, you should enlist the help of an Oklahoma disability lawyer.

What Is the Sequential Evaluation Process?

The sequential evaluation process is a series of five steps that that the SSA follows inOklahoma disability lawyer making its disability determination. At each step of the evaluation process, the SSA is looking for different pieces of information and documentation. For example, at Step 3 of the process, the SSA will assess your “residual functional capacity.”

By hiring an Oklahoma disability lawyer who is intimately familiar with the requirements of this process, you can be confident that the SSA will have all the information it needs to make an informed decision.

What Are The Five Steps?

The five steps of the sequential evaluation process are:

  1. Whether or not you are engaged in “substantial gainful activity” (SGA); and
  2. Whether you are suffering from a “severe” medically determinable impairment; and
  3. Whether your physical or mental condition meets or “equals” one of the disabling conditions described in the Social Security regulations, called the “Listing of Impairments”; or
  4. Whether your “residual functional capacity” (RFC) allows you to do any “past relevant work” (PRW); and
  5. Whether or not you are capable of finding work that is readily available in the national economy, considering your RFC, age, education and work experience.

Satisfying the requirements of the sequential evaluation process is not an easy task, even for the most experienced claimant. As such, it is necessary to hire an Oklahoma disability lawyer to provide sufficient information with your application to increase your chances of getting Social Security disability benefits.

We Can Help

For more information about the sequential evaluation process, or to schedule a complimentary consultation with Oklahoma disability lawyer, please call us today.