WORDS WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGS
We all use words that we don't think about. Sometimes. Occasionally. Once in a while. Seldom. Frequently.
Some of these words have meanings assigned to them by Social Security regulations. And not being aware of the meanings that Social Security assigns to these words can cause us a lot of problems. Let me deal with just two words here: occasionally and frequently.
Occasionally - can mean different things to different people. However, the word is defined by Social Security to mean "from very little up to one-third of an 8-hour work day." Therefore, occasionally has to be taken to mean "...up to one-third of an 8 hour work day."
So, you state that you can "occasionally lift and carry up to 10 pounds." That would mean that you can lift and carry up to 10 pounds for up to 20 minutes each hour, and you could do that for 8 hours per day, 5 days per week on a regular and consistent basis.
Most people don't think that way. Most people think this way: I can lift a gallon of milk out of the cooler at the grocery store, lift it into my car and lift it out of my car and take it into the house. I can lift it from my kitchen counter into my refrigerator. So, I can occasionally lift up to 10 pounds. That is totally NOT the idea conveyed by Social Security's meaning of that word. "Occasionally," to them means going to work 5 days a week, working 8 hours every day, and during that 8 hour period you are lifting and carrying up to 10 pounds for about 20 minutes out of every hour--repeatedly--40 hours per week. And you are doing so persistently--without having to take off a day or two to rest up and recover. The same would be true of 25 pounds, 50 pounds, 75 pounds, whatever. "Occasionally" is defined. Be sure that you understand the definition.
Frequently - is defined as "more than one-third of an 8-hour day, up to two-thirds of an 8-hour day." So, if you are lifting 50 pounds "frequently," you would be lifting and carrying 50 pounds up to 40 minutes EACH HOUR, 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year. It takes a pretty physically fit individual to do that. That is, as one judge puts it, "a lot of lifting." So, your definition of "frequently," needs to be in tune with Social Security's definition of "frequently."
Finally, be very careful to think about the so-called "how questions" posed by Social Security. How long, how far, how often, or how much? We tend to be very casual with answering those questions. We need to be very specific. We need to use terms that have definite meanings. Terms should as "once in a while," "sometimes," or "not often" don't mean the same to everyone. Answers posed in terms of feet, yards, minutes, seconds, hours or times per day DO mean the same to everyone, and are preferred. For example: How often do you leave your home? "Sometimes," or "occasionally" are not very good answers. A better answer might be, "Once a day," or "two or three times a week." We all know what that means. How far can you walk? A poor answer would be "just a little ways." A better answer might be, "about 50 feet, around 100 yards, or about half a block." That means the same thing to everyone.
Some of these words have meanings assigned to them by Social Security regulations. And not being aware of the meanings that Social Security assigns to these words can cause us a lot of problems. Let me deal with just two words here: occasionally and frequently.
Occasionally - can mean different things to different people. However, the word is defined by Social Security to mean "from very little up to one-third of an 8-hour work day." Therefore, occasionally has to be taken to mean "...up to one-third of an 8 hour work day."
So, you state that you can "occasionally lift and carry up to 10 pounds." That would mean that you can lift and carry up to 10 pounds for up to 20 minutes each hour, and you could do that for 8 hours per day, 5 days per week on a regular and consistent basis.
Most people don't think that way. Most people think this way: I can lift a gallon of milk out of the cooler at the grocery store, lift it into my car and lift it out of my car and take it into the house. I can lift it from my kitchen counter into my refrigerator. So, I can occasionally lift up to 10 pounds. That is totally NOT the idea conveyed by Social Security's meaning of that word. "Occasionally," to them means going to work 5 days a week, working 8 hours every day, and during that 8 hour period you are lifting and carrying up to 10 pounds for about 20 minutes out of every hour--repeatedly--40 hours per week. And you are doing so persistently--without having to take off a day or two to rest up and recover. The same would be true of 25 pounds, 50 pounds, 75 pounds, whatever. "Occasionally" is defined. Be sure that you understand the definition.
Frequently - is defined as "more than one-third of an 8-hour day, up to two-thirds of an 8-hour day." So, if you are lifting 50 pounds "frequently," you would be lifting and carrying 50 pounds up to 40 minutes EACH HOUR, 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year. It takes a pretty physically fit individual to do that. That is, as one judge puts it, "a lot of lifting." So, your definition of "frequently," needs to be in tune with Social Security's definition of "frequently."
Finally, be very careful to think about the so-called "how questions" posed by Social Security. How long, how far, how often, or how much? We tend to be very casual with answering those questions. We need to be very specific. We need to use terms that have definite meanings. Terms should as "once in a while," "sometimes," or "not often" don't mean the same to everyone. Answers posed in terms of feet, yards, minutes, seconds, hours or times per day DO mean the same to everyone, and are preferred. For example: How often do you leave your home? "Sometimes," or "occasionally" are not very good answers. A better answer might be, "Once a day," or "two or three times a week." We all know what that means. How far can you walk? A poor answer would be "just a little ways." A better answer might be, "about 50 feet, around 100 yards, or about half a block." That means the same thing to everyone.
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