Disability Benefits for Missourians Over the Age of 50
Your age does matter when it comes to social security disability claims. For disability claimants older than the age of 50, the social security regulations recognize that its hard for an “old dog to learn new tricks” and as we age it gets harder to learn the skills needed to work a new job. Yet many Southwest Missouri workers older than 50 are denied disability benefits despite a lifetime of paying into the Social Security system. This can be particularly frustrating to Missouri workers who have proven their integrity and character through their years of honest work.
The Social Security Administration has special rules for claimants over 50. Further, there is a better chance for an attorney to obtain an "on the record” (i.e. without a hearing) decision when a claimant is over 50 and can no longer do the sort of work he or she did in the past.
If you are over 50 years old and are limited to unskilled sedentary work, Social Security will presume that you are unable to transition to other work due to your age. This can make a huge difference for your claim. A person limited to unskilled sedentary work may lose his or her disability claim at age 48, but will win it at age 50.
At age 55, it gets a little easier for the claimant. A claimant limited to unskilled light exertion work is presumed to be unable to transition to other work.
