Under the Five Step Sequential Process, you may qualify for Social Security disability if you can show that your condition is given in or is equivalent to a condition found in the Listing of Impairments. A Chicago Social Security attorney explains how in the paragraphs below.
The Listing Itself
The Listing of Impairments is, as the name implies, an enormous compilation of illnesses, conditions, disorders, and other medical issues. It also outlines the degree to which the condition must actually impair the patient such that the patient cannot meet the requirements of a job.
The Direct Match
The actual determination is made through a thorough review of your medical history by a physician. This includes the details of your condition, its severity, and how long it has been in place. Then a comparison must be made between that information and the specifications given in the Listing of Impairments. Your condition must be specifically shown and must satisfy all the prerequisites given. If that is the case, you will be declared disabled by the Social Security Administration, and the Sequential Evaluation Process ceases at that point.
When the Match Is Not Direct
It is entirely possible that you have a condition not given in the Listing. This does not mean that simply because the Listing if Impairments does not reflect it, that your condition is not one that prevents you from performing on the job, nor does it mean that you are ineligible for Social Security disability compensation. If your condition parallels one that is listed with similar symptoms, duration and degree of severity, that may be enough to satisfy the requirement of “equaling” the Listing. In other words, your condition may not be specifically named in the Listing, but it’s just as bad as one that is.
How to Equal the Listing
Your impairment might satisfy the “equal a listing” requirement in one of the following four ways. If:
- Your condition matches some, but not all of the specifications and you have additional symptoms that the Listing does not show.
- Your condition matches the symptomatic requirements but not those covering the severity of the impairment, and you are experiencing additional symptoms not reflected in the Listing.
- The Listing of Impairments does not include your specific condition, but one can be found with similar symptoms and degree of severity.
- You suffer from more than one condition that results in an accumulation of symptoms impairing you to a degree equaling medical conditions included in the Listing.
In the Final Analysis
The Social Security Administration is a huge bureaucracy that handles a staggering number of claims every day. It is no easy task to see a disability claim through from inception to final completion, as the procedures involved are complex, and the requirements are extremely specific. It requires a combination of experience and expertise not only in the legal aspects of the claim but the medical aspects as well. When the case is not a straightforward match or is not equivalent to a listing, you will need to work through though the rest of the sequential evaluation process and ascertain that your condition meets Steps Four and Five.
Engage A Chicago Social Security Attorney Today
Let your Chicago Social Security attorney help you through this process. Call us today to begin the procedure.
