Work History

Disability cases are frequently decided based upon the decision maker’s impression of the claimant’s credibility. In this regard the vocational evidence can be just as persuasive as the medical evidence.

Today I received an approval on an application for Social Security Disability benefits that I just filed two months ago. The medical evidence that I submitted was supportive, but was far from overwhelming. However, the claimant’s work history was impressive. The claimant had worked as a bus driver for the same employer for twenty-seven years.

The relevant case law provides that a claimant with a good work record is entitled to substantial credibility when claiming inability to work because of a disability. When a claimant has a long work history the court’s hold that it justifies the inference that when the claimant stopped working he or she did so for the reasons provided. The case laws holds that this is particularly true if the claimant has a long history of continuous work at the same employer. I included what the case law mentioned about work history in the claimant’s application, which is the ostensible reason for the rapid approval.