Classifying past work by weight class

Social Security takes into consideration your past work for 15 years prior to you filing for disability. The Social Security Administration (SSA) takes a number of factors under consideration when reviewing an application for Social Security Disability (SSD), including: your medical condition, the limitations it places on you, your work history, age, education, experience, and job skills, among others.

Socials Security will classify your work by the amount of weight you lifted frequently and occasionally. They will look at how much you stood and sat. They will also classify your work in terms of your work being skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled. 

The evaluation of your skills is completed so the SSA can determine if you’re completely disabled by your medical condition, or if you may still be able to find and maintain employment in another field in which your skills will allow you to perform the essential job duties despite the limitations of your medical or psychological condition.

This blog post will only discuss the weight class of work. The following sums up the different weight classes: 

Heavy Work – requires lifting no more than 100 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 50 pounds.

Medium Work – Requires lifting no more than 50 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 25 pounds. NOTE: Being able to frequently lift or carry objects weighing up to 25 pounds is often more critical than being able to lift up to 50 pounds at a time. Usually requires frequent stooping and crouching. Usually requires standing or walking, off and on, for a total of approximately 6 hours of an 8-hour workday.

Light Work – Requires lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing or pulling of arm or leg controls, e.g., mattress sewing machine operator. Usually involves (at least to some degree) grasping, holding, and turning objects, but does not require use of the fingers for fine activities to the extent required in much sedentary work. Usually requires standing or walking, off and on, for a total of approximately 6 hours of an 8-hour day.

Sedentary – Requires lifting no more than 10 pounds at a time and occasionally lifting or carrying articles like docket files, ledgers, and small tools. Although sitting is involved, a certain amount of walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties. Periods of standing or walking should generally total no more than about 2 hours of an 8-hour workday and sitting should generally total approximately 6 hours of an 8-hour workday. Most unskilled sedentary jobs require good use of the hands and fingers for repetitive hand-finger actions. Does not entail significant stooping or crouching since the work is performed primarily in a seated position.

If you need help 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.

Location: Michigan, USA

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