Did You Lose a Job Due to Your Health? Why This May Be the Key to Winning Your Disability Claim

Losing or leaving a job due to health issues can act as key evidence for a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claim because it supports your argument that you are unable to work and you are entitled to disability benefits. Proof of a job loss (and especially multiple job losses) demonstrates that you have made the effort to work but were unable to continue due to your impairment. This can be persuasive evidence to a Social Security Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who will decide the merits of your case at a disability benefits appeal hearing. Attempting to work and failing shows the ALJ that you did not give up easily, which strengthens your credibility.  And if you attempted to work but failed after your disability onset date, Social Security can consider it an unsuccessful work attempt, so that it may not count against you.

If you have an impairment that affects your ability to hold a job, there is paperwork you will want to gather and keep in case you may want to file for Social Security disability benefits. We regularly encounter individuals with impairments who have been reluctant to file for disability benefits. This is understandable. We all have our pride. Most of us would rather work than cope with a disabling condition. But many of these people, because they were reluctant to file, did not preserve important paperwork that later became very difficult or even impossible to retrieve when they filed for benefits. That is why we encourage you to collect and save important documents. If your health improves and you decide not to file for disability, you can always discard the documents.

Here are the most important types of documents to gather:

• Termination or Resignation Paperwork: Written notices, performance reviews, or HR files noting that you were let go because of attendance or health-related performance drops.
• Attendance and Logs of “Bad Days”: A detailed timeline showing how often your symptoms forced you to miss work or even go home early (missing more than 2 to 3 days per month significantly helps approval odds).
• Statements from Supervisors or Coworkers: Written accounts detailing how they saw your health condition interfere with your daily job duties.  If you quit a job voluntarily, the Social Security Administration may question whether your health was the true reason you left, making supervisor or coworker statements even more important.
• Medical Documents: The most important evidence to support your claim is accurate and complete medical records from doctors, clinics and hospitals to determine how severe your physical or mental condition is. Keep a file of results of diagnostic and/or lab tests; imaging such as X rays, CT scans and MRIs; psychological evaluations; prescriptions; and your treatment plans.
• Medical Statements: A Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) form completed by your doctor details what you can do despite your health problems and will outline your exact work-related restrictions (e.g., how long you can sit, stand, or lift.) A documented history of job termination ties your medical diagnosis directly to your functional inability to work
• Disability Journal: Maintain a record that tracks how your disability affects your day-to-day activities and what you do to manage it.

The type of job that you attempted and could not sustain may be important.  For example, if you tried to do a job that required heaving lifting or standing all day, and you are under 50, SSA may still determine that you could do work that is less strenuous.  However, if you attempted but failed at a job that did not require much in the way of exertion, that is usually more supportive of a disability claim.

Always keep in mind that to be awarded benefits from Social Security, it is not enough to just say you have a disability, you have to prove that your impairment makes it impossible for you to perform full-time employment at any job in the national economy. If you are considering applying for disability benefits for any impairment that prevents you from getting and holding a job, our advice is to keep your records and apply for benefits as early as you can. If you want a free evaluation of your disability case, call or email us at Nash Disability Law.