DISABILITY SURVIVAL GUIDE: NORTH ALABAMA EDITION

  When you are trying to get Social Security disability benefits, they consider more than just your physical and mental health.  Social Security also must consider your age, education level, and work history . The grid rules help decision makers to understand how age and education affects a claimant's ability to work. The grid rules are especially important for claimants who are age 50 or over.  They are even more important for claimants age 55 or over . Social Security rules recognize that as we age we become less adaptable to new types of work.  In general, if a claimant is age 55 or over--called " advanced age "-- he or she may be declared disabled under a grid rule if they are no longer able to perform past relevant work .  That same claimant might not be disabled at a younger age.  A claimant with the same medical history at age 40 might not be disabled under the rules.  This is because Social Security will likely find that, even though he canno...