Question:
Are the peg/screw
assembly tests the "workshop" tests?
Answer:
Expensive workshop tests are atypical and only purchased where the
medical evidence is inconclusive. They usually run 8 hours a day and
can last up to 3 days to see how a person functions in a work setting.
Yes, the types of duties you were asked to perform are usual. It
sounds like you may have had a workshop rather than the more
commonplace VR referral which is less intensive. You apparently had
to curtail because of dyspnea.
Assuming that your med. evidence doesn't satisfy the automatic
criteria, they'll compare the duties of your past work, i.e., how much
you were requred to lift, carry; how long you were required to stand,
walk, as well as the mental demands of your job, etc. with the
remaining function you have now, based on the med. evidence, MD's
opinions, and any workshop evaluation.
If you cannot do that work, they determine if you can do any other
work for which you are medically and vocationally qualified,
considering the evidence mentioned in the previous paragraph along
with your age, education, and work experience. The older, less
educated, and less skilled your are, the better the chances of being
allowed. They follow the so-called "grid rules" as a framework for
guidance at this step:
http://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-ap10.htm
