New Ruling 24-1p addresses three medical-vocational “profiles” that are occasionally applicable in disability claims. The profiles are considered at Step 5 of the sequential evaluation. If you meet the criteria of the profile at Step 5, you will be found disabled under Social Security’s rules. This new Ruling recinds and replaces Ruling 82-63.
The first profile is often referred to as the “worn out worker” rule. This rule has 3 requirements for claimants: a marginal education, 35 years or more of only arduous unskilled physical labor, and the claimant is unable to do this kind of work because of a severe impairment(s).
The second profile is sometimes called the “no work” profile, because it applies to claimants who have no past relevant work (PRW). This profile has the following requirements: the claimant has a severe impairment (or impairments), has no PRW, is age 55 or older, and has no more than a limited education. In light of the revised 5-year period for PRW, this profile may get used much more often, but the claimant must have a limited (less than 12th grade) education.
The third profile is the “lifetime commitment” profile. It applies to an individual who is not working at SGA level, has a lifetime commitment (30 years or more) to a field of work that is unskilled, or that is skilled or semi-skilled but provided no transferable skills, can no longer perform this past work because of a severe impairment (or impairments), is closely approaching retirement age (i.e., age 60 or older), and has no more than a limited education.