The Sequential Evaluation

Question 1

What is the purpose of the Sequential Evaluation?
What question does it serve to answer?

Answer 1

Are you Disabled?

Question 2

What is the Step 1 of the sequential evaluation?

Answer 2

Are you performing SGA?

Question 3

What does SGA stand for?

Answer 3

Substantial Gainful Activity

Question 4

What is the 2025 SGA rate for a blind individual?

Answer 4

$2700 gross monthly earned income

Question 5

What is the 2025 SGA rate for a non-blind individual?

Answer 5

$1620 gross monthly earned income

Question 6

Does SGA apply to all disability programs?

Answer 6

For non-blind individuals, SGA applies to all programs. For blind individuals, SGA does not apply to SSI benefits.

Question 7

What is Step 2 of the sequential evaluation?

Answer 7

Do you suffer from a severe mental and/or physical impairment that prevents you from performing substantial gainful activity?

Question 8

What is Step 3 of the sequential evaluation?

Answer 8

Is your condition on the SSA listing of impairments? If not, what is the relevant severity of the condition?

Question 9

What is Step 4 of the sequential evaluation?

Answer 9

Can you perform past relevant work?

Question 10

What is “past relevant work”?

Answer 10

Anything in the same job category as work you have performed in the 5 years leading up to your AOD.

Bonus This is information collected through the Work History Report

Question 11

What is Step 5 of the sequential evaluation?

Answer 11

Can you perform ANY job?

/ Is your impairment so severe that it prevents you from performing ANY jobs that exist in significant numbers within the national economy?

Question 12

What warrants a disability as “permanent”?

Answer 12

It must last greater than 12 months