Homemaking as a “useful” occupation involves ability to carry home-management and decision making responsibilities
and to provide essential services within the home for at least one person in addition
to one's self.
To make a decision of total disability in regard to homemaking, the team will determine
that the individual, because of his permanent disability, is unable to perform a significant
combination or grouping of the following activities which are important for the successful
performance of the occupation of homemaking: shopping for food and supplies, planning
and preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning house (sweeping, mopping, dusting, moving
furniture), making beds, washing and ironing clothes, carrying fuel, tending fires,
etc.
In addition, if the care of young children is within the homemaking responsibilities
the ability to perform the following activites will be taken into consideration: lifting
and carrying infants, and in an emergency, preschool children, bathing and dressing
young children, training and supervising children, accompanying children to community
activities, to sources of medical care, etc.
Inability to perform one-half or more of a significant grouping of these duties as
they relate to the individual situation will constitute total disability. Also considered
totally disabled will be a homemaker who has the ability to perform all of these duties
but not on a predictable basis or for as many hours of the day as are considered necessary
in the particular situation.
The decision of total disability as regards a homemaker is also contingent upon the
person's capacity to engage in other useful occupations.