RFC- Residual Functional Capacity

 The Social Security Administration, or SSA, evaluates all claims with a five-step sequential evaluation process. Steps 4 and 5 of the evaluation are the most commons ways an individual is found disabled. Meaning, these ways meet the SSA’s definition of disability requiring an individual to be incapable of performing work at substantial gainful levels for a minimum of 12 months. Steps 4 and 5 of the evaluation consider whether the individual is able to not only perform his/her past relevant work but also whether he/she is able to perform any other work listed in the national economy.

In determining whether you are capable of working, the SSA will first determine your physical or mental capabilities, known as your residual functional capacity, or RFC. Your RFC is the MOST you can do in spite of your medical conditions, not the least but the most. 

You will be evaluated on not only how much you can and carry, but on how much you can walk, sit, stand, reach overhead, bend over, and so on. You will also be evaluated in terms of your attention and concentration, memory, and reliability. Again, your RFC is determined based on your medical records. If you do not seek medical treatment, or your treating provider does not note limitations in the medical records, the SSA will not have enough evidence to properly determine your RFC — which ultimately will result in a denial of your claim.

Your physical RFC determines what level of activity you are capable of – e.g., whether you are able to perform a sit-down type of job or whether you could do very heavy work like construction. There are five possible exertional levels for your physical RFC: sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy work. Sedentary work means you are able to lift up to 10 lbs occasionally and sit for at least 6 hours in an 8-hour day. Light-level work means you are able to lift 10-20 lbs occasionally with being able to stand and or walk for 6 hours in an 8-hour day. Medium-level work requires an ability to lift 25-50 lbs occasionally with an ability to stand for 6 hours in an 8-hour day. Heavy and very heavy work requires an individual to lift more than 100 lbs occasionally during an 8-hour day.

Your mental RFC will be determined by your ability to understand and remember, through social interactions, concentration, and your ability to adapt. The SSA considers your ability to understand, carry out, and remember instructions. The SSA will look at the level of instruction, whether complicated or simple, to determine the level of work you could perform. If you struggle with understanding, carrying out, and remembering simple instructions, you will most likely be found to be disabled.

Once your RFC is determined, the SSA will evaluate your application at step 4. This step requires showing proof of an inability to perform your past relevant work. Past relevant work is any work you have performed at the SGA level, while also performing it long enough to learn it in the past 15 years.

If your RFC prevents your past relevant work, the SSA will then consider if there is other work you could perform in the national economy — which is step 5. If the SSA determines your limitations are work preclusive, not only in terms of your past work but also in terms of any other type of work, you will then be found disabled under the SSA’s standards.

If you need helping applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 20 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.