If you have postural limitations that pertain specifically to walking and standing, talk to your Ocala disability attorney regarding specific details of how these limitations affect your case. However, the following material provides some general information regarding how standing and walking limitations may affect your Social Security disability claim.
You are expected to be capable of standing and walking for an approximately two out of the eight hours of what is considered a regular workday. A significant decrease in this two hour standing and walking requirement reduces what is referred to as your sedentary occupational base. The Social Security Administration considers the sedentary occupational base of a person who can stand and walk for only a few minutes out of an eight-hour workday to be significantly eroded.
The use of a cane limits your ability to perform a full range of sedentary work because at times throughout your day you may need two free hands to obtain and retrieve objects when carrying out your normal job duties.
However, depending on how much you use a cane throughout the day, you may still be able to perform sedentary work, and this may disqualify you from receiving Social Security disability benefits. Nevertheless, if you must us a cane for balance because of significant impairments involving both lower extremities, for example if you suffer from a neurological impairment that affects your ability to walk, your occupational base may be considered significantly eroded. In this case, your impairment probably meets or equals the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments for neurological impairments.
If you need to alternate your standing and sitting positions so that you need to periodically walk around, it is likely that the Social Security Administration would consider this a disabling limitation because it takes you away from your workstation. Whether Social Security considers this a disabling limitation depends on the frequency and duration of your need to alternate sitting, standing and walking during your regular eight-hour workday.
The Social Security Administration’s rulings do not specifically address limitations caused by the need to elevate one or both of your legs during your workday. However, the need to elevate your leg during the work day may significantly limit your ability to complete a full range of sedentary work depending on how high you need to elevate your leg and for how long the leg needs to stay elevated during the day.
If you suffer from standing and walking limitations and would like assistance with your Social Security disability claim from an experienced Ocala disability attorney, contact the CJ Henry Law Firm at 352.304.5300 or visit our website at www.cjhenrylaw.com for more information.
