How Social Security Decides If You Can Work or Are Disabled

If your medical condition doesn't match one found on the SSA's List of Impairments, the SSA will evaluate your remaining abilities (called your residual functional capacity, or RFC) to see if you can do your prior job. If not, the SSA will perform a medical-vocational analysis to determine whether there is other work you can be expected to learn to do.

The articles on this page explain how Social Security uses your RFC to determine whether you're able to work. Readers will learn about the evaluation process, including assessments of past work and transferable skills, and how age, education, RFC, and medical evidence impact the decision.

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