The approval process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can be long and frustrating. Those seeking these benefits need to show how their injury or illness prevents them from earning a living.
Unless an SSDI recipient has a condition that is expected to be progressive or terminal (or at least not expected to improve), the Social Security Administration (SSA) will require them to provide periodic updates on their condition and their ability to work – even if it’s not in the job they had prior to their injury or illness.
These updates are assessed to determine whether they will continue to receive benefits. That involves determining a person’s residual functional capacity (RFC).
How is RFC defined and assessed?
The SSA defines RFC as an “individual’s maximum remaining ability to do sustained work activities in an ordinary work setting on a regular and continuing basis.” For example, what is the most work they can do in an 8-hour-a-day, 5-day-a-week job? If an SSDI recipient’s recent work history didn’t include a full-time job, their RFC may be assessed based on “sustained work activities” for a shorter workday or workweek.
Evaluators access a person’s “ability to meet the physical, mental, sensory, and other requirements of work.” They look first at the ability to do work they have previously done and then at whether they are able to adjust to another type of work to determine whether they continue to qualify to receive SSDI benefits or not.
An initial assessment of a person’s RFC when they first apply for SSDI is made based on the information the applicant and their doctor(s) provide. An SSDI recipient’s RFC should typically increase as their condition improves over time.
It can be one thing for a person to know they don’t have the RFC yet to achieve “substantial gainful activity,” which would end their SSDI benefits and another to provide the information and evidence necessary to convince the SSA that they still need their benefits. Having experienced legal guidance can make all the difference.