How does age and education factor in to a Social Security evaluation?
Social Security recognizes that the older a person is, the harder it will be for that person to adjust to changes in the working world. Similarly, a claimant’s limited education or intellectual ability is a vocational factor. For Social Security purposes, a claimant who is less than 50 years old is considered a “younger individual” and is not entitled to any specific consideration due to age. At age 50 and again at age 55, special rules making it easier to qualify are put into place for claimants with physical impairments who have limited schooling. If you are 50 or older, I can advise you if these special rules, called the “grids,” apply to you. Under the grids, if you are 50 years or older, your impairment is a physical problem and you have a limited formal education or no significant work skills, you can be found disabled even if there are some “sit-down” or “light” jobs you can still do. The idea behind the grids is that people over 50 with limited work skills and education will ha
