Social Security Updates
Occupations List Used in Disability Evaluation Process
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[June 24, 2024]
Social
Security administers disability benefits through two programs: the
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
While the agency’s disability decision process remains sound, it
continually seeks improvements to ensure its disability programs
remain current and to ease the burden on customers. In determining
disability claims for adults, Social Security may have to evaluate
whether a person can adjust to other work that exists in significant
numbers in the national economy. To make this determination, the
agency considers a person’s capacity to do work-related activities,
as well as consider their age, education, and work experience.
When making a finding of “not disabled,” for the purpose of benefit
eligibility the agency must support the finding with evidence that
an individual can adjust to work that exists in significant numbers
in the national economy. The agency uses the Dictionary of
Occupational Titles (DOT) and its companion publication, the
Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Revised
Dictionary of Occupational Titles, as reliable sources of
information about such work.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jun/25/images/ads/current/siu_sda_050324.png)
The agency has identified
114 DOT occupations with jobs that exist in very limited
numbers, if at all, in each of the nine U.S. Census divisions of the
country. Based on this finding, the agency will not use these
occupations to support a “not disabled” finding at the last step in
the evaluation process for disability determinations.
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The agency also identified
13 DOT occupations where federal courts have questioned
supporting evidence of a “not disabled” finding. The agency is
implementing additional evidence requirements for these
occupations.
“It makes sense to identify occupations that now exist in very
limited numbers in the national economy," said Martin O'Malley,
Commissioner of Social Security. "By making this update, our
decision makers will no longer cite these jobs when denying a
disability application.”
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jun/25/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png)
On June 22, 2024, the agency published new public
guidance and instructions about these changes. The agency
anticipates that, as a result, it will only consider the most
relevant occupations when determining if someone applying for
disability benefits could perform other types of work.
In the longer term, Social Security continues to analyze data from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Requirements Survey,
which will inform future updates.
These changes add to a growing list of policy updates that Social
Security is publishing to improve its disability programs. For
example, the agency recently announced it will reduce barriers to
access the SSI program by updating the definition of a public
assistance household.
The agency also announced it will exclude the value of food from SSI
benefit calculations.
[Jack Myers
Public Affairs Specialist
Social Security Administration] |