Can I Get SSDI After 55 in 2026 if I Cannot Lift Like I Used To?

Yes, in many cases, you may be able to get SSDI after 55 in 2026 if you can no longer lift like you used to. You’ll have to prove this to the Social Security Administration by filing an SSDI claim.

It will also be helpful to understand some of the basics of how SSDI claims related to lifting ability are handled. You also don’t have to go through the filing process alone. 

Pilzer Klein has more than 50 years of combined experience helping people with Social Security Disability claims. Reach out to our firm today to talk to a South Carolina Social Security disability lawyer about your options.

How Social Security Measures Your Ability to Lift

Your ability to lift can’t really be proven directly via a standard medical lift or scan in some cases. There are other ways that can help prove that you are having trouble lifting or are unable to lift like you may have once done. Social Security uses your RFC to decide what you can still do despite your medical condition. Your RFC can include limits on lifting, carrying, standing, walking, sitting, and other work activities.

Jobs are generally grouped by how physically demanding they are. Sedentary work usually requires lifting no more than 10 pounds at a time. Light work generally involves lifting up to 20 pounds at a time, with additional standing and walking requirements. Medium work can require lifting up to 50 pounds.

Because many jobs require some form of lifting, it may mean the inability to keep a job, especially if you currently work in an industry that requires even moderate lifting. Pilzer Klein can review your medical records and work history to see how your restrictions affect your ability to work.

Why Age 55 and Older Can Change the Analysis

Social Security considers you to be of advanced age when you are 55 or older under its disability rules. This does not mean that you automatically qualify for SSDI after 55. Instead, your age can make it harder for Social Security to expect you to move into a different type of work.

Your work history is also factored into your application. For example, if you spent most of your career doing heavy physical work such as in the warehouse or construction industry, you may have a harder time moving into a new, less physical job after developing serious lifting restrictions.

Social Security may look at your education, work experience, and transferable skills along with your RFC. This can be especially important if you have spent many years in physically demanding work. A Social Security disability lawyer from Pilzer Klein can help explain how these factors may apply to your claim.

What Conditions Can Cause a Lifting Restriction?

Here are some common injuries, conditions, and diseases that can impact a person’s ability to lift:

• Herniated discs or degenerative disc disease.
• Broken bones from past injuries.
• Joint replacements, such as knees or hips. 
• Recent abdominal surgeries or complications from them. 
• Cardiovascular disease that limits your ability to perform physical activities. 

These are just a few examples. Other medical conditions may also limit your ability to lift, carry, or perform other physical activities required for work. 

What Evidence Can Strengthen an SSDI Claim in 2026?

Medical evidence is often the most useful body of proof that can help the Social Security Administration understand how your ability to lift weight has changed and is affecting your job. And so, any records you can get from healthcare professionals who are a part of your treatment or care team may help strengthen your SSDI claim.

An FCE, or functional capacity evaluation, can also provide information about your ability to lift, carry, stand, walk, and perform other physical tasks. Imaging such as X-rays or MRIs may help support the medical cause of your restrictions.

Your doctor’s written opinion can be helpful when it explains specific work limits. Pilzer Klein gathers medical evidence for clients and may seek medical opinion evidence when it is available.

How Do Transferable Skills Affect Your Claim?

The Social Security Administration uses a certain way to measure whether the skills in this case, something like lifting, will impact your future work. For example, if you have only worked in a warehouse lifting heavy things your whole life up to this point, it’s likely any other job you move to next will require that skill. This is called a transferable skills analysis.

Age can also affect how Social Security evaluates your ability to adjust to other work. At age 55 and older, Social Security considers age as one factor when evaluating your ability to transition to other types of work. Your age, education, work experience, transferable skills, and RFC may all affect how your claim is evaluated. 

Pilzer Klein can review your past relevant work, RFC, age, education, and skills together and help you figure out what makes the most sense and will be valuable to include while you are filling out your SSDI application.

Why are Some Lifting-Limitation Claims Denied?

An SSDI claim may be denied when the medical records and other evidence do not adequately support the severity of your condition or the limitations it causes. If your lifting restrictions prevent you from performing your past work or other work, medical and vocational evidence can help Social Security evaluate those limitations. 

However, even if you are facing a denial, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have a valid claim and can’t appeal; this is where a lawyer can step in to help.

If your claim is denied, Pilzer Klein can help you understand the next steps in the Social Security disability process.

Talk to Pilzer Klein About SSDI After 55 in 2026

If your medical condition has made it difficult or impossible to perform the work you have done for years, you may be facing financial stress and uncertainty. Filing an SSDI claim may help you seek disability benefits if you meet Social Security’s requirements. You do not have to handle the process alone.

At Pilzer Klein, you speak with a lawyer from the beginning of your case. The firm focuses its practice on Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income matters.

If you are 55 or older and can no longer perform the work you have done for years, contact Pilzer Klein for a free case review.