Intermediate Improvement to the Disability Adjudication Process, Including How We Consider Past Work

We are finalizing our proposed regulation to revise the time period that we consider when determining whether an individual's past work is relevant for the purposes of making disability determinations and decisions. We are revising the definition of past relevant work (PRW) by reducing the relevant work period from 15 to 5 years. Additionally, we will not consider past work that started and stopped in fewer than 30 calendar days to be PRW. These changes will reduce the burden on individuals applying for disability by allowing them to focus on the most current and relevant information about their past work. The changes will also better reflect the current evidence about worker skill decay and job responsibilities, reduce processing times, and improve customer service. This final rule also includes other minor revisions to our regulations related to PRW.