At almost every Social Security Disability hearing there is a vocational consultant present.
The vocational consultant is often very important in deciding whether or not you will receive disability benefits.
The Judge will usually ask you questions about your past work, your problems and limitations.
If you have an attorney, then the attorney will ask you questions.
After all questioning is completed, the Judge will ask the vocational consultant questions.
The Judge will ask the vocational consultant what are called hypothetical questions.
It will go something like this: assuming that a person can stand and walk 6 out of 8 hours of the day, sit 6 hours out of 8 hours of the day, lift 20 pounds occasionally, 10 pounds frequently, handle and finger frequently, with occasional stooping and kneeling, no stairs or climbing, with only simple work processes. Can the person perform past relevant work? Are there any other jobs the person can perform?
If the Vocational Consultant lists jobs in response, then you must be able to ask the consultant questions to eliminate those jobs or you will lose your case.
The reason is that if the Judge finds you can do any of your past work performed in the last 15 years, then Social Security rules provide that you are not disabled. If you are under 50 years of age and you can do any type of work, then you are not disabled. If you are over 50 years of age it gets more complicated.
The bottom line is that you must know the proper questions to ask the vocational consultant or you will lose.
It is important to have an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer on your side to help you ask these questions.
It does not cost you any money to have a lawyer on your side until you win your case and get paid money from Social Security.
It is certainly worth it to win your case and get Social Security Disability benefits paid to you for the rest of your life.
Feel free to contact Illinois Social Security Disability lawyer Dirk May at 309-827-4371.