CONCENTRATION, PERSISTENCE & PACE IN SSD CLAIMS

CONCENTRATION, PERSISTENCE, AND PACE IN SSD CLAIMS

If you have a mental health condition, then it probably impacts your concentration, persistence, and maintain a reasonable pace at work. In Social Security Disability (SSD) claims, these mental abilities are important because they help show whether you can provide a proper work product for your employer.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) considers concentration, persistence, and pace when they evaluate the functional effects of your mental health conditions. These conditions include anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. Your medical records, treatment history, and statements about your daily activities can show how your symptoms affect your ability to work. Additionally, employer records can demonstrate how your mental condition prevents you from working.

For this reason, it is important to explain what actually happens when you try to work, rather than simply stating that you have “poor concentration.” The SSA is interested in how your symptoms affect your ability to stay focused, remain on task, and complete work consistently. Describing specific difficulties you experience on the job can help show the extent of your limitations and provide a clear picture of how your condition affects your ability to work.

WHAT DOES CONCENTRATION, PERSISTENCE, AND PACE MEAN?

Concentration means staying focused on the task in front of you. For example, you may read a report but lose your place several times.  Likewise, you may enter information into a computer but forget what you were doing after a few minutes. Additionally, you may need someone to remind you what task you were supposed to complete. If you have problems like this, then you have concentration problems.

Persistence means staying with a task until you finish it. For example, you may understand how to complete a simple task but stop because your anxiety becomes too strong. You may also need to leave your work area when you have a panic attack. If you mental condition interferes with your ability to continue with a task until you finish, then you have a persistence problem.

Pace involves how quickly you complete your work. Perhaps you can finish a task, but it takes twice as long for you to complete a task than other workers. You may have been fired from a job because you were told you were too slow. If this is the case, then you have a problem with pace.

The SSA defines concentration as your ability to focus attention and stay on task throughout the course of a normal workday. The SSA also considers your ability to start tasks, work at a consistent pace, and finish tasks on time. They will also consider your ability to maintain a normal work routine. All of these abilities are required to do most jobs.

WHY CONCENTRATION MATTERS IN AN SSD CLAIM

All jobs require some level of concentration. Even simple jobs require you to follow instructions, pay attention, and complete tasks within a reasonable period. Therefore, problems with concentration can affect your ability to work even when the job does not involve complex duties.

For example, suppose you work in an office and enter information into a computer. You may know how to enter the information correctly. However, depression may cause you to lose focus after several minutes. You may then make errors or need to start the task again because you can’t follow through and complete it.

The same problem can happen in physical jobs. Suppose you work in a warehouse and must sort products and put them into certain storage areas. If you have bipolar disorder and your mind wanders, then you may place the products in the wrong location. These details help explain how concentration problems affect your ability to work.

WHAT DOES PERSISTENCE MEAN?

Persistence involves your ability to stay with a task after you begin it. You may understand what your employer wants you to do. However, your mental symptoms may prevent you from staying with the task until it is finished. The SSA considers this when it evaluates your ability to persist on a job.

For example, imagine that your job requires you to review ten pages of information. You may understand the assignment and begin working. After reading two pages, however, you may be distracted by noise or lose your focus for some other reason. If this happens, then you may not finish the assignment within the time your employer requires.

Persistence can also affect routine work. For example, you may start cleaning an office but stop several times because of anxiety. Likewise, you may begin preparing food but lose track of the steps because of memory problems. You may start a customer service call but struggle to finish the call because the customer is difficult. These are practical examples of problems in your ability to persist.

WHAT DOES PACE MEAN?

Pace refers to how quickly you work. The SSA considers whether you can work at an appropriate and consistent rate. They also want to know if you are able to complete tasks within a reasonable time frame.

For example, you may be able to type a report when you feel calm. However, your depression may cause you to work slowly for long periods. You may stare at the screen, reread the same sentence, or struggle to decide what to write. As a result, a task that should take thirty minutes may take several hours. Pace problems can also cause problems beyond an office job. For example, if you work on an assembly line or loading products onto a truck, you have to keep up with the work. If not, then you will lose your job.

Pace can also be a problem when your mental symptoms come and go. You may work well for part of the morning and then lose your ability to focus. If you need frequent breaks or cannot maintain a steady work rate, that can affect your ability to perform a full workday. The SSA considers the ability to perform work on a regular and continuing basis when it evaluates pace. You need to be able to maintain the same pace as other workers who do the same job. If you can’t, then your employer will eventually fire you and hire a worker who can keep up.

HOW MENTAL SYMPTOMS CAN AFFECT CONCENTRATION

Depression and anxiety can affect your ability to concentrate, stay on task, and finish your work. With depression, you may struggle to make decisions, follow instructions, start tasks, or keep your attention on routine work. With anxiety, your thoughts may focus on worries, mistakes, people, or other things instead of the task in front of you.

For example, suppose you work as a receptionist. You need to answer phones, take messages, enter information, and respond to basic questions. If depression affects your concentration, then you may forget messages, enter the wrong information, or need reminders. Also, you may have trouble thinking clearly when several people need your attention at once. This can be especially difficult when there are multiple customers.

These conditions can also affect your pace and ability to stay with a task. You may sit at your desk but struggle to start an assignment or read the same email several times without understanding it. Likewise, a busy line of customers may cause your anxiety to rise until you need to step away. If mental health symptoms stop you from working, then explain your symptoms to your treating doctor. Make sure you explain how often your symptoms happen, how long they last, and what you need to do before you can return to work.

HOW ADHD AFFECTS CONCENTRATION

ADHD can cause problems with attention, organization, and task completion. You may understand your job but struggle to keep your attention on routine work. For example, suppose your job requires you to review bills. You may begin to review one invoice but then, notice an email. You open the email, then check another message, and forget to finish the invoice. At the end of the day, you may have several tasks that are not complete because you didn’t finish what you started.

ADHD can also affect pace. You may complete tasks quickly when they hold your attention but struggle with simple tasks. If you need reminders from your boss or extra time to finish tasks, then those problems demonstrate work limits. Some employers will help you with these issues. They might set up a special calendar for you to organize yourself. Or, they might be willing to give you extra time to finish projects. But, over time, no employer has the ability to monitor you every day. You need to learn to do it yourself.

For that reason, you need counseling or therapy that gives you the tools to concentrate on your job tasks. It is not easy to overcome ADHD or other mental conditions, but it is possible. However, if a combination of mental conditions prevents you from using those tools, then you should file an application for SSD benefits on Social Security’s website.

HOW YOUR MEDICAL RECORDS CAN SHOW MENTAL LIMITATIONS

Your medical records can provide important evidence about concentration, persistence, and pace. Treatment notes may describe problems with attention, memory, and your thought process. Your counselor can describe your symptoms of, anxiety and depression. Psychological testing may also provide evidence about certain mental abilities.

However, one normal mental status finding does not always tell the entire story. Your ability to answer questions during a short appointment is not the same as your ability to work for eight hours. The SSA considers your ability to function over time. Therefore, they will look at the medical evidence in your case over a long period to time. One evaluation doesn’t matter as much as the progress notes from your treatment provider who has seen you for two years.

Therefore, tell your mental health provider what happens outside the office. Explain how long you can focus, how often you lose track of tasks, how often you need breaks, and whether you finish household tasks. Specific examples give your provider useful information to include in your records.

CONCENTRATION AND THE MENTAL HEALTH LISTINGS

The SSA uses four broad areas of mental function when they evaluate mental disorders. These areas include your ability to understand, remember, or apply information. They also include your ability to interact and adapt to change. Additionally, they include your ability to concentrate, persist, and maintain pace. The SSA uses these categories when they apply the paragraph B criteria.

The SSA rates the degree of these categories as none, mild, moderate, marked, or extreme.  Concentration is only one area of mental health symptoms. Therefore, your complete mental health record should explain how your symptoms affect your ability to understand information, interact with people, manage yourself, and maintain attention during daily activities.

CONCENTRATION PROBLEMS CAN AFFECT YOUR RESIDUAL FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY (RFC)

Your RFC should address the mental limits caused by your mental conditions. If you cannot concentrate for a full workday, then that is an important fact for the SSA to know. If you need frequent breaks or cannot maintain a steady pace, then those limits may also affect your ability to work.

For example, imagine that you can understand simple instructions. However, you lose focus after fifteen minutes and need to stop for ten minutes. If this happens several times each hour, it can affect your ability to perform a normal work schedule. The SSA evaluates RFC based on ongoing work activity on a regular and continuing basis.

Likewise, suppose you can perform a job when someone closely monitors you. That does not necessarily mean you can perform the same job without help. If you need frequent reminders because of your mental symptoms, then those facts should be part of your medical record.

WHAT YOU SHOULD TELL YOUR DOCTOR

Tell your doctor exactly what happens when you try to focus. Do not simply say that you have trouble with concentration. Give specific examples from your daily life and past work.

Explain how long you can stay focused before your symptoms interfere. Tell your provider if you lose track of conversations, forget instructions, fail to finish tasks, or make errors. Explain why you need frequent breaks. Also explain whether these problems happen every day or only during certain periods.

Your doctor may not know how your symptoms affect you at home or at work unless you explain them. Therefore, honest and specific information can help your medical records present a clear picture. Your records should reflect your actual abilities to function rather than a general statement about your diagnosis. Be consistent when you describe your symptoms to your doctor. Give as many examples as you can of problems where you can’t concentrate or finish tasks.

CONCENTRATION, PERSISTENCE, AND PACE CAN MATTER AT YOUR HEARING

If you have an SSA hearing, then you may be asked questions about your ability to concentrate and finish tasks. You should be prepared to explain what happens during a normal day at work and at home. The focus should be on what you can actually do, not simply on the name of your diagnosis.

For example, you may be asked how long you can watch television, read, use a computer, shop, cook, or perform household tasks. These activities can provide useful information, but you should explain the circumstances. Watching television for thirty minutes while lying down is not necessarily the same as working for thirty minutes while meeting workplace demands.

You should also explain what happens when you try to continue an activity.

IF YOU WANT TO WIN SSD BENEFITS, THEN HIRE US

In the past 35 years, we have won over 20,000 SSDI and SSI cases. Also, we have won over $100 million in ongoing and past due SSD benefits for our clients. Your chances of winning benefits triples if you hire an attorney. However, you need to hire an SSD attorney who has legal experience and understands the law. You should also hire an attorney to prepare you for your psychological exam with the SSA.

If you have a mental symptoms that prevent you from working for over 12 months, then we can help win your benefits. You can apply for SSD benefits on Social Security’s website. If you need help filing your claim, then call us.

Every day you wait to file your claim is a day you lose money. SSI benefits begin on the date of your application. SSDI benefits can go back in time, but only one year from the date of your application. Contact us today. Take advantage of our free review of your case. We will be able to tell you if you qualify for benefits. Likewise, we can also tell you if you have a good chance of winning SSD benefits.

HOW HIRING OUR SSD LAW FIRM CAN HELP

Mental health conditions affect your ability to work. Concentration, persistence, and pace are some of the most difficult problems to prove to the SSA. Mainly, they are difficult to prove because they may not be obvious during a one time appointment with a doctor. We will work with you and your doctor to submit medical records that document all of your mental healthy symptoms, including concentration issues.

We know that your mental health diagnosis is only part of your SSD claim. The important question is how your condition affects your ability to function. Therefore, your medical evidence should connect your symptoms to specific limits that affect your ability to work. There are specific forms that your doctor can complete that will help you prove your case.

If your mental health condition affects your ability to concentrate, stay on task, or maintain a reasonable work pace, then contact us. We can help you win your SSD benefits for your severe mental health conditions.