WHAT LANGUAGE ARE YOU SPEAKING?

The Social Security Administration speaks to itself in its own language which is foreign to most claimants.  When you attend a disability hearing, the following abbreviations will be tossed around freely.  I'm giving you a sort of dictionary of common Social Security terms and what they mean.

ALJ - Administrative Law Judge - is the person who presides over hearings and who will decide if you can receive benefits.

AOD - Alleged Onset Date - is the date on which a claimant says he/she first became disabled.  Often, benefits can be paid back to this date.

DDS - Disability Determination Service - is the name of a state agency contracted with Social Security to process new disability claims and make the initial determination as to whether the claimant is entitled to benefits.  DDS denies over 75% of all claims.

DLI - Date Last Insured - is the date on which a claimant's coverage for disability benefits will expire.  This date is usually 5 years after he/she stops working. It can be very difficult to file a new claim after the DLI.

DOT - Dictionary of Occupational Titles - a standardized data base of jobs listing the job description, exertion level and the level of skill required to do the job.  Published in the 1930s, the DOT was last updated in the 1990s but has become the "Bible" of work for the Social Security Administration, even though it is grossly out of date.

ME - Medical Expert - a doctor who may be asked by Social Security to review a claimant's medical records and/or appear at a hearing to advise the administrative law judge on such issues as whether a claimant meets a medical Listing, etc.

OTR - On the Record Decision - is a fully favorable decision issued by an administrative law judge or senior legal advisor without a hearing.  This is issued when the evidence in the record overwhelmingly supports a decision of disabled.

PFD - Protected Filing Date - is the date a claimant first contacts the Social Security Administration and expresses an interest in filing a disability claim.  The PFD may be earlier than the application date.  This date often determines the earliest date a claimant may begin getting SSI benefits.

PRW - Past Relevant Work - is the work you have performed in the past 15 years, which (a) was performed at Substantial Gainful Activity level and (b) was performed long enough to learn how to do the job.

RFC - Residual Functional Capacity - is the most a person is able to do in terms of work-like activity.  It measures whether a person is capable of exertion at the sedentary, light, medium, heavy or very heavy categories (ranging from easiest to most difficult).

SGA - Substantial Gainful Activity - is the level of work which is considered enough to (a) disqualify a person for SSDI benefits and (b) count as past relevant work in a claimant's past work history.  In 2018, if you work and earn at least $1,180 per month, you are engaged in SGA.  The number increases slightly each year due to inflation.

SSDI - Social Security Disability Insurance (Income) - is the name of the Title II disability program, funded by FICA taxes withheld from a worker's pay and paid into the government's trust fund.  Only workers earn SSDI coverage.  SSDI benefits are usually quite a bit higher than SSI benefits.

SSI - Supplemental Security Income - is a government program for elderly and disabled individuals who have very low household incomes and few financial resources.  Unlike SSDI, it does not require work history to be covered.   Currently the maximum SSI benefit is $750 per month.

VE - Vocational Expert - sometimes shown as "VW" for Vocational Witness.  This is a jobs expert called by Social Security to attend hearings.  The VE answers the judge's questions about how certain functional limitations impact the ability to perform work in the national economy.  Nearly all hearings on adult disability cases will have a VE present.


Understanding some of these terms may make Social Security a bit less confusing.  Of course, it won't make you an expert.  So you may want to consider getting an expert to help you file and pursue your claim for benefits.
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By:  Charles W. Forsythe
The Forsythe Firm
7027 Old Madison Pike - Suite 108
Huntsville, AL 35806

PHONE (256) 799-0297

THE FORSYTHE FIRM: SOCIAL SECURITY JUSTICE