By William Powell of Powell & Denny | Published January 24, 2026 | Posted in Social Security Disability, Workers Compensation | Tagged Tags: Why Functional Limitations Matter More Than Medical Diagnoses in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers' Compensation Cases, Why Two People with the Same Diagnosis May Receive Very Different Legal Outcomes |
Why Functional Limitations Matter More Than Medical Diagnoses in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases
Why Functional Limitations Matter More Than Medical Diagnoses in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases Why Two People with the Same Diagnosis May Receive Very Different Legal Outcomes Throughout this series, we have discussed several mental abilities that are essential to maintaining employment. We have examined the ability to: understand, remember, and carry Read More
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean to Sustain Competitive Employment?
What Does It Mean to Sustain Competitive Employment? Why Working Occasionally Is Not the Same as Working Full-Time in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases One of the biggest misconceptions about disability is the belief that a person must be completely incapable of doing any work before qualifying for benefits. That simply is Read More
Read MoreCan You Adapt to Changes in the Workplace?
Can You Adapt to Changes in the Workplace? Why Flexibility, Stress Tolerance, and Adaptability Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases Most people think of work as a routine. You arrive at the same time each day, perform familiar tasks, and go home at the end of your shift. In reality, however, Read More
Read MoreCan You Interact Appropriately with Supervisors, Coworkers, and the Public?
Can You Interact Appropriately with Supervisors, Coworkers, and the Public? Why Social Functioning Matters in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases Most jobs require much more than technical skills or physical ability. Whether someone works in an office, a factory, a hospital, a warehouse, or drives a truck, virtually every occupation requires employees Read More
Read MoreWhy Concentration Persistence, and Pace Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases
Why Concentration Persistence, and Pace Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases Why Being Able to Start a Task Is Not the Same as Being Able to Sustain Competitive Employment Most people assume disability cases are decided by physical limitations, and those issues are certainly important, but another question is often just Read More
Read MoreCan You Understand, Remember, and Carry Out Instructions?
Can You Understand, Remember, and Carry Out Instructions? Why Memory and Cognitive Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases One of the most misunderstood aspects of disability law has nothing to do with lifting, standing, walking, or sitting. Instead, it involves something most of us take for granted until we lose Read More
Read MoreWhy Mental Functional Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases
Why Mental Functional Limitations Matter in Social Security Disability and Alabama Workers’ Compensation Cases Why disability claims are often decided by what you can still do—not simply by the name of your diagnosis. When most people think about disability, they think about medical diagnoses. They may have suffered a serious back injury, traumatic brain injury Read More
Read MoreWhy Work Classifications Matter in Alabama Workers Compensation and Social Security Disability Cases
Why Work Classifications Matter in Alabama Workers Compensation and Social Security Disability Cases Understanding how Sedentary, Light, Medium, Heavy, and Very Heavy Work can determine the outcome of your claim. Over the last several articles, we’ve discussed what Social Security and vocational experts mean when they classify work as sedentary, light, medium, heavy, or very Read More
Read MoreCan You Really Perform Heavy Work? Understanding One of the Most Important Classifications in Workers’ Compensation and Disability Cases
Can You Really Perform Heavy Work? Understanding One of the Most Important Classifications in Workers’ Compensation and Disability Cases For many injured workers, one sentence changes everything: “Your doctor has permanently restricted you from heavy work.” Most people hear that and think: “Well, I can still work.” Sometimes that’s true- Sometimes it isn’t. Whether a Read More
Read MoreWhat Does “Medium Work” Really Mean? Why Losing the Ability to Perform Medium Work Can End a Career
What Does “Medium Work” Really Mean? Why Losing the Ability to Perform Medium Work Can End a Career Most injured workers have never heard the phrase “medium work” until they become involved in a workers’ compensation or Social Security Disability case; then suddenly everyone seems to be talking about it. The doctor. The Functional Capacity Read More
Read More
We Wrote the Book
My Alabama Disability Claim by William Powell & Gregory Denny Click Here to Get Your Free Copy
-
5.0/5.0A++++++ got results and staff is friendly
-
5.0/5.0
A++++++ got results and staff is friendly
-
5.0/5.0
Persevering for 2-3 years to get my disability. Thank You.
-
5.0/5.0
Persevering for 2-3 years to get my disability. Thank You.
-
5.0/5.0William Powell is an excellent attorney and a leader in our local bar.
