[Title 20 CFR 404.1564]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - April 1, 1996 Edition]
[Title 20 - EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS]
[Chapter III - SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION]
[Part 404 - FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- )]
[Subpart P - Determining Disability and Blindness]
[Sec. 404.1564 - Your education as a vocational factor.]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
20
EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
2
1996-04-01
1996-04-01
false
Your education as a vocational factor.
404.1564
Sec. 404.1564
EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- )
Determining Disability and Blindness
Sec. 404.1564 Your education as a vocational factor.
(a) General. Education is primarily used to mean formal schooling or
other training which contributes to your ability to meet vocational
requirements, for example, reasoning ability,
[[Page 341]]
communication skills, and arithmetical ability. However, if you do not
have formal schooling, this does not necessarily mean that you are
uneducated or lack these abilities. Past work experience and the kinds
of responsibilities you had when you were working may show that you have
intellectual abilities, although you may have little formal education.
Your daily activities, hobbies, or the results of testing may also show
that you have significant intellectual ability that can be used to work.
(b) How we evaluate your education. The importance of your
educational background may depend upon how much time has passed between
the completion of your formal education and the beginning of your
physical or mental impairment(s) and by what you have done with your
education in a work or other setting. Formal education that you
completed many years before your impairment began, or unused skills and
knowledge that were a part of your formal education, may no longer be
useful or meaningful in terms of your ability to work. Therefore, the
numerical grade level that you completed in school may not represent
your actual educational abilities. These may be higher or lower.
However, if there is no other evidence to contradict it, we will use
your numerical grade level to determine your educational abilities. The
term education also includes how well you are able to communicate in
English since this ability is often acquired or improved by education.
In evaluating your educational level, we use the following categories:
(1) Illiteracy. Illiteracy means the inability to read or write. We
consider someone illiterate if the person cannot read or write a simple
message such as instructions or inventory lists even though the person
can sign his or her name. Generally, an illiterate person has had little
or no formal schooling.
(2) Marginal education. Marginal education means ability in
reasoning, arithmetic, and language skills which are needed to do
simple, unskilled types of jobs. We generally consider that formal
schooling at a 6th grade level or less is a marginal education.
(3) Limited education. Limited education means ability in reasoning,
arithmetic, and language skills, but not enough to allow a person with
these educational qualifications to do most of the more complex job
duties needed in semi-skilled or skilled jobs. We generally consider
that a 7th grade through the 11th grade level of formal education is a
limited education.
(4) High school education and above. High school education and above
means abilities in reasoning, arithmetic, and language skills acquired
through formal schooling at a 12th grade level or above. We generally
consider that someone with these educational abilities can do semi-
skilled through skilled work.
(5) Inability to communicate in English. Since the ability to speak,
read and understand English is generally learned or increased at school,
we may consider this an educational factor. Because English is the
dominant language of the country, it may be difficult for someone who
doesn't speak and understand English to do a job, regardless of the
amount of education the person may have in another language. Therefore,
we consider a person's ability to communicate in English when we
evaluate what work, if any, he or she can do. It generally doesn't
matter what other language a person may be fluent in.
(6) Information about your education. We will ask you how long you
attended school and whether you are able to speak, understand, read and
write in English and do at least simple calculations in arithmetic. We
will also consider other information about how much formal or informal
education you may have had through your previous work, community
projects, hobbies, and any other activities which might help you to
work.