Steps 4 and 5 of the Social Security Disability Sequential Evaluation Process
When the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates an adult disability claim, it generally uses a five-step sequential evaluation process to determine whether an applicant meets its definition of disability.
If a claim reaches Steps 4 and 5, SSA considers how your medical limitations affect your ability to perform work. These final steps focus on whether you can perform your past relevant work or adjust to other work.
Understanding these stages can help you better understand how SSA evaluates a disability claim.
What Is the Sequential Evaluation Process?
The sequential evaluation process is the framework SSA generally uses to evaluate disability claims for adults.
The five steps address questions such as whether you are working at a certain level, whether you have a severe medically determinable impairment, whether your condition meets or equals certain medical criteria, and whether you can perform work.
At Step 4, SSA considers your ability to perform past relevant work. If necessary, the evaluation moves to Step 5, where SSA considers whether you can adjust to other work.
Step 4: Can You Perform Your Past Relevant Work?
At Step 4, SSA evaluates whether your medical condition prevents you from performing your past relevant work.
Before making this determination, SSA assesses your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC).
What Is Residual Functional Capacity?
Residual Functional Capacity describes the most you can still do in a work setting despite limitations caused by your medically determinable impairments.
Depending on your circumstances, SSA may evaluate abilities and limitations involving:
- Sitting, standing, and walking
- Lifting and carrying
- Pushing and pulling
- Reaching, handling, and other physical activities
- Understanding and remembering instructions
- Maintaining concentration and attention
- Interacting with other people
- Adapting to changes in a workplace
- Other physical or mental work-related activities
SSA considers the relevant evidence in your case when determining your RFC.
How Does SSA Evaluate Past Relevant Work?
SSA compares your RFC with the physical and mental demands of qualifying work you performed in the past.
Information about your previous employment can therefore be important. SSA may consider details such as:
- Your job duties
- Physical activities required by the job
- Skills and responsibilities
- Equipment or tools you used
- How much you lifted or carried
- How much time you spent sitting, standing, or walking
- Mental and cognitive demands of the work
Accurate descriptions of previous jobs can help SSA understand what those jobs actually required.
What Happens After Step 4?
If SSA determines that you can still perform qualifying past relevant work, it may find that you are not disabled under its rules.
If SSA determines that you cannot perform your past relevant work—or you do not have past relevant work to evaluate—the claim may proceed to Step 5.
Step 5: Can You Adjust to Other Work?
At Step 5, the question changes.
Instead of asking whether you can perform your previous work, SSA considers whether you can make an adjustment to other work that exists in significant numbers in the national economy.
SSA considers your RFC along with vocational factors such as:
- Age
- Education
- Work experience
If SSA determines that you can adjust to other work, it may find that you are not disabled. If SSA determines that you cannot make an adjustment to other work, it may find that you are disabled under its rules.
Why Age, Education, and Work Experience Matter
Steps 4 and 5 are not based solely on your diagnosis.
SSA considers how your medically determinable impairments affect your ability to function in a work environment. At Step 5, vocational factors can also affect the determination.
For example, age may affect SSA’s assessment of a person’s ability to adjust to other work. Education and previous work experience can also be relevant when determining whether an individual has skills or abilities that could be used in different work.
What Are the Medical-Vocational Guidelines?
In certain Step 5 determinations, SSA uses Medical-Vocational Guidelines, sometimes informally called the “Grid Rules.”
These guidelines consider factors that can include:
- Residual Functional Capacity
- Age
- Education
- Previous work experience
- Transferability of work skills
The guidelines do not determine every disability claim by themselves. The way they apply depends on the individual’s circumstances and limitations.
Who Has the Burden at Steps 4 and 5?
Generally, through Step 4, the claimant is responsible for providing evidence supporting the disability claim and showing an inability to perform past relevant work.
At Step 5, SSA is responsible for showing that other work the claimant can perform exists in significant numbers in the national economy, considering the claimant’s RFC and relevant vocational factors.
This distinction makes Step 5 an important part of the sequential evaluation process.
Why Medical Evidence Matters
Medical evidence can be especially important when SSA determines your RFC and evaluates your ability to work.
Relevant evidence may include:
- Medical records
- Diagnostic and laboratory test results
- Treatment history
- Information about medications and their effects
- Medical source statements
- Evidence documenting physical or mental limitations
A diagnosis alone does not necessarily establish disability. SSA considers the functional limitations caused by medically determinable impairments and how those limitations affect your ability to perform work-related activities.
What Happens If Your Claim Is Denied?
If SSA determines at Step 4 that you can perform past relevant work, or at Step 5 that you can adjust to other work, your disability claim may be denied.
Depending on where you are in the process, you may have options to appeal the decision.
Appeal deadlines apply, so carefully review any notice you receive from SSA for information about your rights and the steps required to request further review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Step 4 of the Social Security Disability process?
At Step 4, SSA generally determines whether you have the Residual Functional Capacity to perform your past relevant work. If you can perform that work, SSA may determine that you are not disabled.
What is Step 5 of the disability evaluation process?
At Step 5, SSA considers whether you can adjust to other work that exists in significant numbers in the national economy, taking into account your RFC, age, education, and work experience.
What does RFC mean in a disability claim?
RFC stands for Residual Functional Capacity. It represents the most you can still do in a work setting despite limitations resulting from your medically determinable impairments.
Does being unable to do my previous job mean I qualify for disability?
Not necessarily. If SSA determines at Step 4 that you cannot perform your past relevant work, it may proceed to Step 5 to determine whether you can adjust to other work.
What are the Grid Rules for Social Security Disability?
The Medical-Vocational Guidelines, commonly called the Grid Rules, are guidelines SSA may use when evaluating certain claims at Step 5. They consider factors including RFC, age, education, and previous work experience.
Can my age affect a Step 5 disability decision?
Yes. Age is one of the vocational factors SSA considers at Step 5, along with education, work experience, and your RFC.
Disclaimer: Applying for Disability is operated by Optimized Business Solutions LLC, a lead-generation service. We are not a law firm, law practice, or lawyer referral service and do not provide legal advice, representation, or legal services. This content is provided for general informational purposes only. Social Security rules and procedures can change, so current requirements should be verified with the Social Security Administration or an appropriate professional.
