How does the Social Security Administration look at problems with sitting and standing?

Sometimes people in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or West Virginia come to our Ohio disability law office with specific symptoms that are disabling to them but do not fall perfectly within the categories of disabilities that the Social Security Administration uses.

One example of this is a problem with sitting or standing. Some people are able to sit for a while, but after a certain time period the pain becomes unbearable and they must stand or stretch or lie down. Similarly, some people can stand for a while, but their ability to do this is limited, and after a while they wear out and need to rest.

These are very real problems, but the Social Security Administration does not automatically identify sitting or standing problems as disabilities.

The Social Security Administration determines disability based on its listings

The basic issue for any Social Security disability claim is whether there is a medical condition that prevents you from being able to work. The Social Security Administration works through detailed rules and regulations to make this determination, and the first thing it does is to check whether your condition matches one of the conditions in its “Listing of Impairments.”

This Listing of Impairments is commonly referred to simply as the listings. It consists of a long list of over 100 types of impairments, and it describes the requirements to qualify under these impairments in very specific and sometimes complex ways.

There are different listings for adults and children. For adults, the listings are divided into the following general categories:

  • Musculoskeletal System.
  • Special Senses and Speech.
  • Respiratory System.
  • Cardiovascular System.
  • Digestive System.
  • Genitourinary Impairments.
  • Hematological Disorders.
  • Skin Disorders.
  • Endocrine System.
  • Impairments that Affect Multiple Body Systems.
  • Neurological.
  • Mental Disorders.
  • Malignant Neoplastic Diseases
  • Immune System Disorders.

Each of these general categories then has several subparts. For example, the evaluation of a disability of the musculoskeletal system contains the following specific areas:

Sitting and standing abilities are important in many different listings

If you read through the titles of the Social Security listings you won’t find anything that specifically addresses sitting and standing problems. However, the detailed descriptions of many of the listings discuss how that impairment affects a person’s ability to sit or stand.

For example, the general description of the musculoskeletal listings indicates that a person is considered disabled if that person is not able to “travel without companion assistance to and from a place of employment or school” and to “independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities.”

In an even more specific area, the listing says that a person is disabled if that person cannot walk a block at a reasonable pace on rough or uneven surfaces, or use standard public transportation, or climb a few steps at a reasonable pace.

All of these rules and regulations are aimed at the general notion of whether or not you are able to work, and if you are limited in your ability to sit or stand for too long then you may not be able to work.

Our Ohio disability law firm can help with disability claims based on sitting and standing problems

We will help you fully explore all the factors in your medical condition, and determine how to best present it to the Social Security Administration, showing how your disability fits into the Social Security Administration listings.

If you are not already represented by an Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or West Virginia Social Security disability attorney and want our evaluation, give us a brief description of your claim using the form to the right.

Or you may e-mail or call our office at:

The Aebi Law Firm
Social Security disability attorneys
Serving Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan
E-mail

Phone: 740-397-8875
Fax: 740-393-0781
Toll free: 877-366-9107

111 S. Mulberry St.
Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050