Why Mental Functional Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases

Why Mental Functional Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases

Why disability claims are often decided by what you can still do—not simply by the name of your diagnosis.

When most people think about disability, they think about medical diagnoses.  They may have suffered a serious back injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, or another disabling condition. Naturally, they assume that receiving the “right” diagnosis will determine whether they qualify for benefits.

While medical diagnoses are certainly important, they are only part of the picture.

Whether your claim involves Social Security Disability or Alabama workers’ compensation, the question eventually becomes much more practical: How does your condition affect your ability to work?

That simple question lies at the heart of almost every disability case.

Throughout this series, we’ll examine the mental and cognitive abilities necessary to maintain employment and explain why these functional limitations often become just as important as physical limitations when determining whether someone can continue working.

Recommended Reading: Isn’t My Diagnosis Enough to be Awarded Disability Benefits?

Recommended Reading: Your Restrictions are Generally More Important than Your Diagnosis

Disability Is About Function—Not Simply a Diagnosis

One of the biggest misconceptions about disability law is that everyone with the same diagnosis should receive the same legal outcome, but real life doesn’t work that way.  Consider two people who both suffer from chronic low back pain.

Both have similar MRI findings.

Both underwent surgery.

Both continue receiving medical treatment.

Yet one person successfully returns to work, while the other develops:

• chronic pain;
• poor sleep;
• fatigue;
• difficulty concentrating;
• memory problems;
• depression; and
• side effects from prescribed medications.

Although their diagnoses may appear similar, their ability to perform work activities may be dramatically different.  That distinction is critical because disability systems evaluate functional limitations, not simply diagnostic labels.

Recommended Reading: Why Work Classifications Matter in Alabama Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability Cases

Physical Injuries Frequently Produce Mental and Cognitive Limitations

Many people hear the phrase mental impairment and immediately think of psychiatric illnesses, when in reality, physical injuries often produce significant mental and cognitive symptoms.  For example, a serious work injury may result in:

• chronic pain;
• interrupted sleep;
• mental fatigue;
• slower thinking;
• impaired concentration;
• short-term memory problems;
• irritability;
• anxiety; or
• depression.

Likewise, medications prescribed to relieve pain may cause:

• drowsiness;
• slowed reaction time;
• decreased attention;
• impaired memory; or
• reduced mental alertness.

Sometimes these problems become more disabling than the original orthopedic injury itself.

The law recognizes that these secondary effects may significantly affect a person’s ability to maintain employment.

Recommended Reading: Can Pain Alone Keep Me from Working?

Recommended Reading: Chronic Pain and Psychological Issues

Recommended Reading:  Can the Side Effects of Prescribed Medication Affect My Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability Claims?

The Ability to Work Involves Much More Than Lifting

Many people believe disability cases revolve around lifting restrictions, and lifting is certainly important, but employment requires much more than physical strength.  Most jobs also require workers to:

• understand instructions;
• remember information;
• maintain attention and concentration;
• remain on task throughout the workday;
• interact appropriately with supervisors, coworkers, and customers;
• adapt to ordinary workplace changes;
• make reasonable decisions;
• maintain acceptable attendance; and
• perform these activities on a regular and continuing basis.

A person may be physically capable of lifting 25 or even 50 pounds yet still be unable to maintain competitive employment because pain, fatigue, medication side effects, or cognitive limitations prevent him or her from reliably performing these mental work activities.

Throughout this series, we’ll examine each of these abilities individually and explain why they frequently become central issues in disability cases.

How Social Security Evaluates Mental Functional Limitations

Social Security does not simply ask whether a claimant has depression, PTSD, anxiety, chronic pain, or another diagnosis.

Instead, the agency evaluates how those conditions affect a person’s ability to function in a work setting.

For example, Social Security considers whether a claimant can:

• understand, remember, and carry out instructions;
• maintain concentration, persistence, and pace;
• interact appropriately with supervisors, coworkers, and the public;
• adapt to ordinary workplace changes; and
• sustain competitive employment on a regular and continuing basis.

These mental abilities are evaluated along with physical limitations when determining a claimant’s Residual Functional Capacity (RFC).

In other words, Social Security asks not only “What medical conditions do you have?” but also “What can you still do despite those conditions?”

Recommended Reading: What is my RFC?

Recommended Reading: Understanding the Five-Step Sequential Evaluation Process

Recommended Reading: Why Work Classifications Matter in Alabama Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability Cases

Recommended Reading: What Does ‘Jobs Existing in Significant Numbers’ Really Mean?

How These Same Issues May Affect an Alabama Workers’ Compensation Claim

Although Alabama workers’ compensation law applies a different legal standard than Social Security Disability, many of the same functional limitations become important.

A serious work injury may produce chronic pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, sleep disturbance, or medication side effects that significantly affect an employee’s ability to return to work.

For workers with body-as-a-whole injuries, these limitations may influence questions such as:

• Can the worker safely return to his or her former job?
• Can the worker perform other reasonably suitable employment?
• Has the worker suffered a loss of earning capacity?
• Will permanent restrictions prevent the worker from earning wages similar to those earned before the injury?

Although Alabama workers’ compensation and Social Security Disability use different legal standards, both systems ultimately examine the practical effect the injury has on a person’s ability to earn a living.

Recommended Reading: What Happens If I Can’t Return to My Job After a Work Injury?

Recommended Reading: What Do Permanent Work Restrictions Mean in Workers’ Compensation and Social Security Disability Cases?

Pain Affects Much More Than the Injured Body Part

Many people think pain affects only the back, shoulder, knee, or other injured body part, but medical research—and everyday experience—demonstrates otherwise.

Persistent pain may affect a person’s ability to:

• pay attention;
• remember information;
• complete tasks;
• solve problems;
• tolerate stress;
• remain patient with others;
• maintain productivity;
• make decisions; and
• remain mentally engaged throughout the workday.

When chronic pain combines with poor sleep and medication side effects, these limitations often become even more significant.  That is one reason physicians, vocational experts, and judges frequently consider the combined effects of all of a person’s impairments rather than evaluating each condition in isolation.

One Question Connects Every Article in This Series

As we continue this series, we’ll return to one question repeatedly:

How does this particular limitation affect a person’s ability to work?

We’ll first examine that question from a practical standpoint—how the limitation affects everyday employment—and then explain how both Social Security Disability and Alabama workers’ compensation evaluate those same functional limitations under their respective legal standards.

Although the laws differ, both systems recognize an important truth: a diagnosis alone rarely answers whether a person can successfully maintain employment.

The Bottom Line

Medical diagnoses are important.  MRIs, X-rays, psychological evaluations, and physician opinions all play an important role in disability claims.

But many cases are ultimately decided by something far more practical: Can you continue performing the mental and physical activities required to maintain employment on a regular and reliable basis?

That question often determines the outcome of both Social Security Disability claims and Alabama workers’ compensation cases involving permanent vocational disability.

Understanding these functional limitations helps explain why two people with similar medical diagnoses may receive very different legal outcomes.

Coming Next…

Our next article examines one of the most overlooked issues in disability law:

Can You Understand, Remember, and Carry Out Instructions? Why Memory and Cognitive Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases

We’ll discuss how traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, PTSD, depression, anxiety, medication side effects, and even poor sleep can affect memory, learning, and the ability to follow workplace instructions—and why those limitations often become critical issues in both Social Security Disability and Alabama workers’ compensation claims.