How transferability of skills plays a factor in your ability to do other kinds of work?

When youre applying for Social Security Disability Benefits, one of the factors SSA will look at when determining if you are capable of working still is whether you have transferability of skills. SSA will basically be looking at all of the skills you acquired by education or previous work experiences to determine if the skills you have will qualify you for any other kinds of work in the U.S.

Every job which youve performed in the past requires certain skills. These skills may be simple and easily learned, or they may be more complex and require years of training to get the hang of. Job skills may require heavy work, fine motor skills, or even the ability to manage people. Whatever you have done in any previous work and whatever skills you have learned by virtue of your education will be considered to determine if you have transferability of skills.

When determining your transferability of skills, SSA will also take into account factors such as your age and the impact your disability may have on your continued ability to use the skills you have acquired.

Generally, the older you are, the less likely youll be able to adapt when it comes to transferability of skills. If you are nearing retirement age, Social Security Disability programs don’t expect youll be able to adapt much in terms of skills and tools you need to use. If you are over 60, SSA will consider your transferability of skills for jobs which are very similar to what you have already done in the past and don’t require much, if any retraining.

If you are in your 50s, SSA and vocational experts expect that you will be able to handle some degree of retraining as long as there is still some transferability of skills. SSA won’t expect you to be able to transition into a career for which you have not been trained ever in the past, but may expect you to be able to adapt to new tools and training in a similar profession. Those younger than 50 will typically be expected to retrain and adapt to any work for which they are physically and educationally capable, even if it involves little or no transferability of skills.