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How it works
What's in my Disability Confidence Score®?
​Your Disability Confidence Score® (DCS) is based on your age, education, work experience, and the nature and severity of your physical and/or mental impairments. For some people, the importance of these factors can be different. For example, a person who is age 55 might qualify for benefits based on the inability to lift/carry more than 10 pounds because of a back-related problem, whereas a person who is age 25 might not qualify based on the same problem. Our algorithm is calibrated to the Social Security Administration's five-step "sequential evaluation process" for determining eligibility, and dynamically assigns specific weights to factors we believe carry the most predictive value.
What is the Sequential Evaluation Process?
The Social Security Administration regulations provide a procedure known as the "sequential evaluation process" for disability evaluation. For adults, this a five-stop process that requires sequential review of:
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The claimant's current work activity (if any),
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The severity of his/her impairments,
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A determination of whether his/her impairment(s) meets or medically equals a "listing",
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The claimant's inability to perform his/her past work, and
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His/her ability to do other work based on age, education and work experience.
How do you weigh factors in the DCS?
Some factors that influence your DCS are objective. Most obviously, if you are working on a full-time basis, and there is no continuous twelve-month period of disability due to a medically determinable impairment, you will be found not eligible for Social Security Disability benefits based on the Social Security Act. Other factors are more subjective, such as the nature of your impairments in combination with the severity of the associated symptoms. Our algorithm is routinely updated to incorporate Social Security statutes and regulations, cases adjudicated by federal courts, so-called "Acquiescence Rulings", policy positions of the Social Security Administration, and our team's ongoing interviews with practitioners, in order to glean what works - and what doesn't - when it comes to obtaining benefits.
Does a high DCS guarantee I will get benefits?
No. Similarly, a low DCS does not mean you will be denied benefits. The DSC is a based on a proprietary algorithm developed by Am I Disabled.com. Your DCS is calculated only from the information you provide in the survey. The Social Security Administration looks at many different factors to make its final determination, including your income. Your DCS represents only our prediction on whether you may qualify for benefits based on limited data, and should not be relied upon exclusively for your decision on whether to apply for benefits.
Is the DCS for children too?
No. At this time, our algorithm is programmed to provide a DCS only for adults (age 18 and older).
Is this really free?
Yes! Obtaining your DCS score is totally free to you. Our site is supported exclusively by advertising revenue from attorneys and other non-attorney representatives who are qualified to practice before the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearing Operations. We do not solicit, nor will we ever accept, a "referral fee" or other form of remuneration based on the outcome of any claim.
Will my survey responses be kept private?
Your survey responses and DCS will never be shared with anyone. You will be asked to provide your name, email address and phone number in order to connect with Disability Advocate who may agree to assist you with a claim for Social Security Disability benefits, but none of the information you supplied in the survey will be sent to him or her. There is no obligation for you to engage any Disability Advocate to whom you are directed.
Sample Disability Confidence Score®
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