The 5-Step Test for Disability Income Through the Social Security Administration

Attorneys should be able to identify legal issues outside their main area of expertise that can affect their clients. This applies to all practitioners, no matter whether they do real estate, trust and wills, criminal law, corporate law, family law, or any other field. Work related injuries and disabling conditions can affect everyone, particularly as the chance of a worker becoming disabled before retirement age increases, and this should inform the legal advice that clients receive. This program will provide an overview of the 5-step Sequential Evaluation Process for Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) & Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for non-Social Security attorneys, and explain the differences and commonalities of the programs. These five evaluation steps are about the claimant, the claimant's work history, and the claimant's severe impairments.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the requirements of the Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs
2. Identify in detail the non-medical and medical criteria for the SSD and SSI programs
3. Advise clients on their SSD/I applications