A. General. Your impairment(s) and related symptoms, such as pain, may cause limitations of function
or restrictions which limit your ability to meet certain demands of jobs. These limitations
may be exertional, nonexertional, or a combination of both. Limitations are classified
as exertional if they affect your ability to meet the strength demands of jobs. The
classification of a limitation as exertional is related to the United States Department
of Labor's classification of jobs by various exertional levels (sedentary, light,
medium, heavy, and very heavy) in terms of the strength demands for sitting, standing,
walking, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling. DI 25025.001 ff. explains how we use the classification of jobs by exertional levels (strength
demands) which is contained in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles published by
the Department of Labor, to determine the exertional requirements of work which exists
in the national economy. Limitations or restrictions which affect your ability to
meet the demands of jobs other than the strength demands, that is, demands other than
sitting, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling, are considered
nonexertional. DI 25005.001 explains that if you can no longer do your past relevant work because of a severe
medically determinable impairment(s), we must determine whether your impairment(s),
when considered along with your age, education, and work experience, prevents you
from doing any other work which exists in the national economy in order to decide
whether you are disabled or continue to be disabled. Paragraphs B., C., and D., of
this section explain how we apply the medical-vocational guidelines in DI 25025.001 ff. in making this determination, depending on whether the limitations or restrictions
imposed by your impairment(s) and related symptoms, such as pain, are exertional,
nonexertional, or a combination of both.
B. Exertional limitations. When the limitations and restrictions imposed by your impairment(s) and related symptoms,
such as pain, affect only your ability to meet the strength demands of jobs (sitting,
standing, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling), we consider that you
have only exertional limitations. When your impairment(s) and related symptoms only
impose exertional limitations and your specific vocational profile is listed in a
rule contained in DI 25025.001 ff., we will directly apply that rule to decide whether you are disabled.
C. Nonexertional limitations.
1. When the limitations and restrictions imposed by your impairment(s) and related
symptoms, such as pain, affect only your ability to meet the demands of jobs other
than the strength demands, we consider that you have only nonexertional limitations
or restrictions. Some examples of nonexertional limitations or restrictions include
the following:
a. You have difficulty functioning because you are nervous, anxious, or depressed;
b. You have difficulty maintaining attention or concentrating;
c. You have difficulty understanding or remembering detailed instructions;
d. You have difficulty in seeing or hearing;
e. You have difficulty tolerating some physical feature(s) of certain work settings,
e.g., you cannot tolerate dust or fumes; or
f. You have difficulty performing the manipulative or postural functions of some
work such as reaching, handling, stooping, climbing, crawling, or crouching.
2. If your impairment(s) and related symptoms, such as pain, only affect your ability
to perform the nonexertional aspects of work-related activities, the rules in DI 25025.001ff
do not direct factual conclusions of disabled or not disabled. The determination as
to whether disability exists will be based on the principles in the appropriate sections
of the regulations, giving consideration to the rules for specific case situations
in DI 25025.001 ff.
D. Combined exertional and nonexertional limitations. When the limitations and restrictions imposed by your impairment(s) and related symptoms,
such as pain, affect your ability to meet both the strength and demands of jobs other
than the strength demands, we consider that you have a combination of exertional and
nonexertional limitations or restrictions. If your impairment(s) and related symptoms,
such as pain, affect your ability to meet both the strength and demands of jobs other
than the strength demands, we will not directly apply the rules in DI 25025.001 ff. unless there is a rule that directs a conclusion that you are disabled based
upon your strength limitations; otherwise the rules provide a framework to guide our
decision.