EDPNA REVIEW TIPS ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS
SET A+
✔✔Past Relevant Work (PRW) 404.1565 - ✔✔Work a claimant performed within the last
15 years (since onset) which lasted long enough for him or her to learn the job and
which was substantial gainful activity.
- TIP: not all past work is relevant work
✔✔Exertional Limitations 404.1569 - ✔✔Conditions that limit an individual's ability to
meet the strength demands of a job.
- standing, walking, sitting, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling
✔✔Non-Exertional Limitations 404.1569 - ✔✔Restrictions that affect an individual's
ability to meet the demands of jobs other than strength.
- ex. Difficulty functioning due to anxious/nervousness/depression
- Diff. maintaining attention/concentration
- Diff seeing/hearing
- Diff understanding/remembering
- Issues tolerating dust/fumes
- Issues reaching stooping/climbing/crawling/crouching/handling
***If a claimant only has non-exertional impairments, the GRID rules do not direct
factual conclusions of disabled /not disabled as they do w/ exertional impairments
✔✔Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) 404.1545 - ✔✔What a claimant can do in spite
of any physical or mental limitation.
- All impairments, even if not considered severe
- Physical RFC - Sitting, standing, walking, lifting, pushing, pulling
Mental RFC - Understanding, remembering, carrying out instructions, responding
appropriately to co-workers
- Other Impairments - Skin Conditions, epilepsy, vision, & hearing.
Who determines RFC? Initial & Recon - State Agency Disability Hearing - ALJ
, ✔✔Physical Exertional Requirements 404.1567 - ✔✔1. Sedentary Work (Max 10lb)
Occasionally walking/standing
2. Light Work (Max 20lb, Freq. 10lb)
3. Medium Work (Max 50lb, Freq. 25lb)
4. Heavy Work (Max 100lb, Freq. 50lb)
5. Very Heavy Work (Max 100lb, Freq. 50lb or more)
✔✔Work which exists in the national economy 404.1566D - ✔✔General. We consider
that work exists in the national economy when it exists in significant numbers either in
the region where you live or in several other regions of the country. It does not matter
whether -
(1) Work exists in the immediate area in which you live;
(2) A specific job vacancy exists for you; or
(3) You would be hired if you applied for work.
✔✔Medical-Vocational Guidelines Appendix 2 Subpart P - ✔✔Also known as the
"grids," the Medical-Vocational Guidelines are tables that feature vocational rules that
consider a claimant's age, education, prior work experience, and remaining RFC to
direct or guide the decision maker to a conclusion of "disabled" or "not disabled"
✔✔Age Categories 404.1563 - ✔✔1. Younger person. If you are a younger person
(under age 50), we generally do not consider that your age will seriously affect your
ability to adjust to other work. However, in some circumstances, we consider that
persons age 45-49 are more limited in their ability to adjust to other work than persons
who have not attained age 45.
2. Person closely approaching advanced age. If you are closely approaching advanced
age (age 50-54), we will consider that your age along with a severe impairment(s) and
limited work experience may seriously affect your ability to adjust to other work.
3. Person of advanced age. We consider that at an advanced age (age 55 or older), age
significantly affects a person's ability to adjust to other work. We have special rules for
persons of advanced age and for persons in this category who are closely approaching
retirement age (age 60 or older).
✔✔Education 404.1564 - ✔✔1. Illiteracy. Illiteracy means the inability to read or write.
We consider someone illiterate if the person cannot read or write a simple message
such as instructions or inventory lists even though the person can sign his or her name.
Generally, an illiterate person has had little or no formal schooling.
2. Marginal education. Marginal education means ability in reasoning, arithmetic, and
language skills which are needed to do simple, unskilled types of jobs. We generally
consider that formal schooling at a 6th grade level or less is a marginal education.
3. Limited education. Limited education means ability in reasoning, arithmetic, and
language skills, but not enough to allow a person with these educational qualifications to
do most of the more complex job duties needed in semi-skilled or skilled jobs. We
SET A+
✔✔Past Relevant Work (PRW) 404.1565 - ✔✔Work a claimant performed within the last
15 years (since onset) which lasted long enough for him or her to learn the job and
which was substantial gainful activity.
- TIP: not all past work is relevant work
✔✔Exertional Limitations 404.1569 - ✔✔Conditions that limit an individual's ability to
meet the strength demands of a job.
- standing, walking, sitting, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling
✔✔Non-Exertional Limitations 404.1569 - ✔✔Restrictions that affect an individual's
ability to meet the demands of jobs other than strength.
- ex. Difficulty functioning due to anxious/nervousness/depression
- Diff. maintaining attention/concentration
- Diff seeing/hearing
- Diff understanding/remembering
- Issues tolerating dust/fumes
- Issues reaching stooping/climbing/crawling/crouching/handling
***If a claimant only has non-exertional impairments, the GRID rules do not direct
factual conclusions of disabled /not disabled as they do w/ exertional impairments
✔✔Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) 404.1545 - ✔✔What a claimant can do in spite
of any physical or mental limitation.
- All impairments, even if not considered severe
- Physical RFC - Sitting, standing, walking, lifting, pushing, pulling
Mental RFC - Understanding, remembering, carrying out instructions, responding
appropriately to co-workers
- Other Impairments - Skin Conditions, epilepsy, vision, & hearing.
Who determines RFC? Initial & Recon - State Agency Disability Hearing - ALJ
, ✔✔Physical Exertional Requirements 404.1567 - ✔✔1. Sedentary Work (Max 10lb)
Occasionally walking/standing
2. Light Work (Max 20lb, Freq. 10lb)
3. Medium Work (Max 50lb, Freq. 25lb)
4. Heavy Work (Max 100lb, Freq. 50lb)
5. Very Heavy Work (Max 100lb, Freq. 50lb or more)
✔✔Work which exists in the national economy 404.1566D - ✔✔General. We consider
that work exists in the national economy when it exists in significant numbers either in
the region where you live or in several other regions of the country. It does not matter
whether -
(1) Work exists in the immediate area in which you live;
(2) A specific job vacancy exists for you; or
(3) You would be hired if you applied for work.
✔✔Medical-Vocational Guidelines Appendix 2 Subpart P - ✔✔Also known as the
"grids," the Medical-Vocational Guidelines are tables that feature vocational rules that
consider a claimant's age, education, prior work experience, and remaining RFC to
direct or guide the decision maker to a conclusion of "disabled" or "not disabled"
✔✔Age Categories 404.1563 - ✔✔1. Younger person. If you are a younger person
(under age 50), we generally do not consider that your age will seriously affect your
ability to adjust to other work. However, in some circumstances, we consider that
persons age 45-49 are more limited in their ability to adjust to other work than persons
who have not attained age 45.
2. Person closely approaching advanced age. If you are closely approaching advanced
age (age 50-54), we will consider that your age along with a severe impairment(s) and
limited work experience may seriously affect your ability to adjust to other work.
3. Person of advanced age. We consider that at an advanced age (age 55 or older), age
significantly affects a person's ability to adjust to other work. We have special rules for
persons of advanced age and for persons in this category who are closely approaching
retirement age (age 60 or older).
✔✔Education 404.1564 - ✔✔1. Illiteracy. Illiteracy means the inability to read or write.
We consider someone illiterate if the person cannot read or write a simple message
such as instructions or inventory lists even though the person can sign his or her name.
Generally, an illiterate person has had little or no formal schooling.
2. Marginal education. Marginal education means ability in reasoning, arithmetic, and
language skills which are needed to do simple, unskilled types of jobs. We generally
consider that formal schooling at a 6th grade level or less is a marginal education.
3. Limited education. Limited education means ability in reasoning, arithmetic, and
language skills, but not enough to allow a person with these educational qualifications to
do most of the more complex job duties needed in semi-skilled or skilled jobs. We
