Can I Get SSDI After 55 if I Need to Lie Down During the Day?

You can qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) after age 55 if you need to lie down during the day due to a medically determinable impairment. A need to lie down during the workday can constitute a non-exertional limitation, depending on the underlying impairment and its effects on your functioning.

Pilzer Klein has more than 50 years of combined experience. We encourage you to discuss your SSDI benefits claim with our Greenville Social Security Disability lawyers.

From here, we can provide insights into whether you’re able to get SSDI after 55 if you have to lie down during the day and other topics relating to your claim.

How Do the SSA’s Grid Rules Change at 55?

At age 55, the SSA considers a person to be of “advanced age,” which can affect how the agency evaluates this individual’s ability to adjust to other work. Beginning at age 50, age can become an increasingly important vocational factor when the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates your residual functional capacity (RFC), education, and work experience.

For example, age can be significant when a person is limited to sedentary work and has no transferable skills. In accordance with SSA guidelines, needing to lie down can constitute a non-exertional limitation, based on the circumstances.

Because a non-exertional limitation can affect your work abilities, the SSA may look at how the limitation reduces the occupational base in addition to applying its Medical-Vocational Guidelines as a framework.

The Pilzer Klein team can answer any questions you have about the 55 Rule for Social Security Disability as it applies to your SSDI benefits request.

If you are 55 or older, have to lie down during the day, and want to pursue SSDI benefits, we are here to help in any way possible.

Why Does Lying Down Matter to Employers?

It’s generally assumed that in a standard sedentary (sit-down) job, you’ll have to sit upright for about six hours in an eight-hour workday. Frequent or unpredictable periods of lying down during the workday can reduce a person’s ability to perform the sitting requirements of sedentary work.

Meanwhile, if you want to receive SSDI after 55 but need to lie down at various times throughout the day, a vocational expert may be asked whether the frequency and duration of the required lying-down periods would be compatible with competitive employment.

At Pilzer Klein, our Social Security Disability attorneys want you to establish realistic goals when you apply for SSDI benefits. Thus, we can share details about what to expect from a vocational expert at your disability hearing and how their testimony can improve your chances of getting approved for SSDI benefits after 55 if you have to lie down during the day.

What Evidence Will Help You Seek SSDI Benefits After 55 if You Need to Lie Down During the Day?

The SSA has evidentiary requirements before your SSDI benefits request will be approved. Allow a Social Security Disability lawyer from Pilzer Klein to help you collect evidence to support your claim for SSDI benefits after 55 if you need to lie down during the day.

We want to retrieve several types of evidence to strengthen your claim, including:

• Clinical records: These can come from your doctor and detail the exact medical reason and frequency for which you need to lie down during the day.
• RFC questionnaire: A doctor or other medical source may provide information about your functional limitations, including how often you would need to interrupt the workday.
• Symptom diary: You can put together a diary that details how long you’re able to sit or stand before severe pain or fatigue forces you to lie down.

Ultimately, your evidence can help establish how your need to lie down during the day affects your ability to sustain work. In turn, we can use it to learn how that limitation, together with your other medical and vocational factors, affects your ability to adjust to other work.

Learn More About Whether You Can Get Social Security Disability Insurance After 55 if You Need to Lie Down During the Day

As you think about whether you’re able to receive SSDI benefits after 55 if you need to lie down during the daytime, remember that you don’t have to proceed with a Social Security Disability claim by yourself. The attorneys at Pilzer Klein can assist you with your claim and help you prove to the SSA why your SSDI benefits request is valid.

Our focus is winning Social Security Disability claims, one case at a time. If you are interested in seeking SSDI benefits after age 55 and have to lie down during the day, we’re ready to help.

Let our attorneys review your SSDI case and explain your options. Depending on the situation, we can help you apply for SSDI benefits. Alternatively, if your SSDI benefits request was previously denied, we may help you appeal.

For more information, request a free consultation.