
Social Security Eliminates Outdated Jobs to Gain Better Access to Disability Benefits
Qualifying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) has universally been a complex process. Of course, one of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) biggest effort is to determine if an applicant’s disability is eligible for benefits. Secondly, the SSA concludes if someone applying for insurance can find and perform another job based on their abilities.
The SSA has denied thousands of people disability benefits by arguing they could find jobs that have disappeared from the U.S. economy for decades. The list of professions comes from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) as well as the Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles, as reliable sources of information about such work. CBS News reported its last update was in 1977, which explains why critics suggest the database is unfair and flawed. Examples of such obsolete occupations in the U.S. include nut sorter, canary breeder, pneumatic tube operator, railroad telegrapher, and microfilm processor.
When a person applies for SSDI, the agency compares their claim against a list of jobs that are abundant in the country to see if they could reasonably accomplish them and stay off government payments. However, the list is now discernibly out of date and there has been a push for it to be modernized for quite some time.
Dictionary of Occupational Titles Updates
The agency states it continuously seeks to improve its disability programs to keep them current and ease the burden on customers, therefore, updating the DOT was necessary. The shift will help SSA be more specific when deciding if someone who is applying for disability benefits can hold other jobs.
Recently, Social Security administrators announced 114 DOT occupations will be eliminated from over 12,000 job types in the DOT. The agency is no longer allowed to use these professions to support a “not disabled” finding at the final step in the evaluation process for disability determinations. On June 22, 2024, the new public guidance along with instructions about the changes were published.
“It makes sense to identify occupations that now exist in very limited numbers in the national economy,” Martin O’Malley, commissioner of Social Security, said in a statement. “By making this update, our decision-makers will no longer cite these jobs when denying a disability application.”
These changes will immediately improve the long and complicated disability approval process. “This will be a really big deal for disability claimants,” said Kevin Liebkemann, a disability attorney in New Jersey who has written extensively on Social Security’s use of vocational data and in recent months worked with colleagues to submit proposals to O’Malley to change the system, including by removing obsolete jobs from consideration. Liebkemann admits, “I could tell you stories about the psychological impact it has on disability claimants when they learn they lost their claim that they waited years on, because somebody said they could do a job that doesn’t exist.”
It remains to be seen if modernizing the employment roles will improve the number of people approved to receive disability benefits. “I think it’s a good thing that they’re updating the system because I think that’s one obstacle within Social Security,” said Rachel Baskerville, Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council member. “On the other hand,” she added, “I think even though those exact jobs don’t exist anymore, there’s so many jobs that are just as simple that I think we need to keep in mind that people with disabilities still do.”
Call a Social Security Disability Lawyer for Help with Your Claim
Over 65% of disability claims are usually denied right away. This is because most individuals feel lost when it comes to filing out the paperwork. Submitting the proper medical documents to prove your disabled state can be overwhelming. Hiring a disability lawyer at the start of your disability benefits process gives you the best chance for winning your claim and getting that paycheck.
The Lowery Law Group collects what medical information you need and helps streamline the facts for your case. Contact us at info@lowerylegal.com or call (843) 991-0733. There is no fee for a free consultation regarding your claim. Lowery Law Group is experienced in handling cases in South Carolina as well as Georgia.
Lowery Law Group Is Here to Help
Contact Lowery Law Group at info@lowerylegal.com or call (843) 991-0733. There is no fee for a free consultation regarding your claim. Lowery Law Group is experienced in handling cases in South Carolina as well as Georgia.