From Social Security Disability
Practice by Thomas E. Bush, copyright James Publishing
§271.1 Chart:
Physical Limitations and Their Effects on Ranges of Work
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RANGES OF
PHYSICAL EXERTION |
CITATIONS |
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Heavy |
Medium |
Light |
Sedentary |
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Lifting Carrying |
100 lbs. max. 50 lbs. freq. |
50 lbs. max. 25 lbs. freq. |
20 lbs. max. 10 lbs. freq. |
10 lbs. max. An inability to lift or carry more than 1
or 2 lbs. would erode the sedentary occupational base significantly. |
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Standing Walking |
6 hours/day |
6 hours/day |
6 hours/day |
2 hours/day. A limitation to standing and walking for a
total of only a few minutes during the workday would erode the sedentary
occupational base significantly. |
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Pushing Pulling |
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Arm and/or leg controls |
Inability to push/pull will
generally have little effect. |
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Sitting/ Need to alternate
sitting and standing |
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6 hours/day. The need to
alternately sit and stand erodes the sedentary occupational base but the
extent of erosion will depend on the facts such as the frequency of the need
to alternate sitting and standing and the length of time needed to stand. |
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Stooping Crouching |
Ability to frequently stoop
and crouch is required for most heavy and- medium work. |
Crouching is not required
for most sedentary and light jobs.
Only occasional stooping is required for light and sedentary work. A complete inability to
stoop would significantly erode the unskilled sedentary occupational base and
a finding that the individual is disabled would usually apply. |
SSRs 83-10,
83-14,
85-15,
96-9p,
POMS § DI
25020.005A.9 |
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Climbing Balancing Kneeling Crawling |
Relatively few jobs require
climbing ladders. Limitations of
ability to balance on a slippery or moving surface, crawl, or kneel would be
of little significance in the broad world of work. |
Would not usually erode the
occupational base for a full range of sedentary work because these activities
are not usually required in sedentary work.
However, if balancing is limited even when walking on level terrain,
there may be significant erosion. |
SSRs 83-14,
85-15,
96-9p,
POMS § DI
25020.005A1, POMS § DI
25020.005A4 |
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Fine manual dexterity |
Significant loss of fine manual
dexterity does not usually impact heavy and medium work except for certain
skilled and semi-skilled jobs. |
Loss of fine manual
dexterity narrows light and sedentary work more than it does heavy and medium
work. Loss of bimanual dexterity
significantly compromises sedentary occupational base. |
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Reaching Handling |
Reaching and handling are
activities required in almost all jobs.
Significant limitations of reaching and handling may eliminate a large
number of occupations. |
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Feeling |
The ability to feel the
size, shape, temperature or texture of an object by the fingertips is a
function required in very few jobs. |
SSRs 85-15,
96-9p,
POMS § DI
25020.005A2b |
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Loss of use of arm |
Greatly impinges on
unskilled sedentary work and generally reduces occupational base similar to
the number represented by a full range of sedentary work. |
POMS § DI
25020.005A5 |
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Visual |
Little impact if there is
sufficient visual acuity to handle large objects and visual fields necessary to
avoid hazards in the work place. |
If a visual limitation
prevents an individual from seeing the small objects involved in most
sedentary work or if an individual is not able to avoid hazards in the
workplace, there will be a significant erosion of the sedentary occupational
base. |
SSRs 83-14,
85-15,
96-9p,
POMS § DI
25020.005A10 |
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Communicative |
Basic communication is all
that is needed to do unskilled work.
The ability to hear and understand simple oral instructions or to
communicate simple information is sufficient.
However, hearing impairments do not necessarily prevent communication
and differences in types of work may be compatible with various degrees of
hearing loss. Impact on occupational
base may need to be individually assessed. |
SSRs 85-15,
96-9p,
POMS § DI
25020.005A3 |
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Environmental |
Where a person has a
medical restriction to avoid excessive amounts of noise, dust, etc., the
impact on the broad world of work would be minimal because most job
environments do not involve great noise, amounts of dust, etc. Where an individual can tolerate very
little noise, dust, etc., the impact on the ability to work would be
considerable because very few job environments are entirely free of
irritants, pollutants, and other potentially damaging conditions. Where the environmental restriction falls
between very little and excessive, resolution of the issue will generally
require consultation of occupational reference materials or the services of a
vocational expert. |
POMS § DI
25020.015 |
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Use of cane |
Use of cane precludes the
ability to perform most unskilled jobs above the sedentary level. |
The sedentary occupational
base for one who must use a cane for balance because of significant
involvement of both lower
extremities may be significantly eroded.
One who needs to use a cane because of an impairment that affects only one leg may still have the
ability to make an adjustment to sedentary work that exists in significant
numbers. |
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