As you pursue Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, you may be referred to a doctor to complete a residual functional capacity assessment or RFC. Your residual functional capacity describes your physical and mental capacity to perform in a workplace setting despite limitations caused by your disabling condition. The assessment measures your abilities pertaining to various physical, mental, sensory, and other requirements expected of most jobs.
The results of your assessment may eventually dictate whether you receive SSD benefits. At Kraft & Associates P.C., our experienced Dallas SSD attorneys can guide you through the SSD benefits claim process, including helping you prepare for a proper residual functional capacity assessment. We assist with SSD claims on a contingency fee basis. You don’t pay unless we help you secure benefits. Call us today about our SSD lawyers in Dallas working hard for you!
What Is Residual Functional Capacity?
An individual who is totally disabled due to an illness or injury but who worked and paid Social Security taxes in recent years may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. SSD payments can range from $300 a month to over $2,000 a month, based on the beneficiary’s income and contributions to the Social Security system.
To qualify, most applicants must prove to the Social Security Administration that they cannot perform their former job or any other type of work and that their disabling condition will last 12 months or longer. The SSA decides whether an applicant is disabled in a five-step process, requiring the agency to consider the following:
- Whether you are involved in any work activity. If you are holding a job or performing substantial gainful activity, then you are not likely to qualify as disabled.
- The severity of your impairment. You must have an impairment or combination of impairments that leave you unable to work and are expected to last for a year or longer.
- A second measurement of the severity of your impairment. Certain physical or mental impairments or combinations of impairments automatically qualify the applicant as disabled.
- The assessment of your residual functional capacity and your past relevant work. If you cannot still do a job you previously held, the SSA assesses whether you can adjust to other work given your residual functional capacity and your age, education, and work experience. If you cannot do past relevant work or adjust to other work, you are disabled.
The determination of whether you are disabled may come down to the results of your residual functional capacity assessment.
Determining Residual Functional Capacity
The Social Security Administration’s residual functional capacity assessment evaluates an applicant’s impairments and any related indications, such as pain or fatigue, and their severity or frequency.
When conducting a physical residual functional capacity assessment of a Social Security Disability Insurance benefits applicant, the assessor will measure the following:
- Exertional limitations. Ability to lift, stand and walk, sit for prolonged periods, push and or pull.
- Postural limitations. Climbing stairs, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling.
- Manipulative limitations. Reaching, handling, finger dexterity, and skin’s reaction to touch.
- Visual limitations. Vision, depth perception, color vision, and field of vision.
- Communicative limitations. Hearing, speaking.
The SSA may also require an assessment of the applicant’s ability to carry out certain mental activities, such as:
- Understanding and memory
- Sustained concentration to carry out instructions
- Interacting appropriately to supervision, coworkers, and work pressures in a work setting
The assessor bases their conclusions on all evidence in the applicant’s file as well as their personal examination to describe how the evidence substantiates their conclusions.
Unless you have an impairment that automatically qualifies you for SSD benefits, you will be advised of an appointment with a doctor contracted to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an RFC assessment as part of the disability claims review. You may also have your own doctor conduct an assessment to be included in your file. Your own doctor should be able to more thoroughly explain the full impact of your medical condition on your ability to function and hold substantially gainful employment as measured by the SSA.
Talk To Our Seasoned Dallas Social Security Disability Lawyers for Help
A Social Security Disability claim attorney at Kraft & Associates can help you determine whether you may qualify for SSD benefits based on your diagnosed medical condition and inability to work. We can help you prepare and submit an application and assist throughout the claims process.
Our attorneys can refer you to a local doctor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who understands disabling conditions like yours and the requirements of the Social Security Administration. We will discuss getting a second opinion about your functional capacity if we believe an examination would benefit your claim.
Contact Kraft & Associates, P.C., in Dallas, TX, now for a free consultation. We’re an established Dallas law firm with friendly lawyers and staff who are easy to talk to. Please call us at (214) 999-9999 or contact us online.
