If you have proceeded past steps one and two of the sequential evaluation process, your St. Louis social security disability attorney can explain the next step.
Step Three of the Sequential Evaluation Process
Your St. Louis social security disability attorney can explain that this step requires the analysis of your medical symptoms and findings. If these meet or are medically equivalent to one of the impairments in the Listing of Impairments, you will be approved for benefits.
Medical Equivalence
However, even if your impairment is not specifically listed, your St. Louis social security disability attorney can explain that you can still be approved for benefits at this point in the process. This can occur if your impairments are medically equivalent to one that is enumerated in the official Listing of Impairments. This situation can occur in one of the four following ways:
- You have other findings found under the Listings but lack one of the essential findings that are listed
- One of the essential findings that you have is not as severe as described in the Listings
- Your impairment is as severe as another impairment listed
- Your combination of impairments cumulatively equal an impairment listed under the Listings
A medical expert that is contacted by the Social Security Administration may provide an opinion so that an administrative law judge can assess whether a claimant’s impairment is the medical equivalent of a Listed Impairment.
Contact A St. Louis Social Security Disability Attorney
If you would like more information on this subject, contact St. Louis social security disability attorney David M. Hicks at (314) 812-4885.