C.F.R. » Title 20 » CHAPTER III—SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION › PART 416—SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND DISABLED › Subpart I—Determining Disability and Blindness

20 C.F.R. § 416.967

Physical exertion requirements

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To determine the physical exertion requirements of work in the national economy, we classify jobs as sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy. These terms have the same meaning as they have in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, published by the Department of Labor. In making disability determinations under this subpart, we use the following definitions:

(a) Sedentary work. Sedentary work involves lifting no more than 10 pounds at a time and occasionally lifting or carrying articles like docket files, ledgers, and small tools. Although a sedentary job is defined as one which involves sitting, a certain amount of walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required occasionally and other sedentary criteria are met.

(b) Light work. Light work involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing, or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. To be considered capable of performing a full or wide range of light work, you must have the ability to do substantially all of these activities. If someone can do light work, we determine that he or she can also do sedentary work, unless there are additional limiting factors such as loss of fine dexterity or inability to sit for long periods of time.

(c) Medium work. Medium work involves lifting no more than 50 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 25 pounds. If someone can do medium work, we determine that he or she can also do sedentary and light work.

(d) Heavy work. Heavy work involves lifting no more than 100 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 50 pounds. If someone can do heavy work, we determine that he or she can also do medium, light, and sedentary work.

(e) Very heavy work. Very heavy work involves lifting objects weighing more than 100 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing 50 pounds or more. If someone can do very heavy work, we determine that he or she can also do heavy, medium, light, and sedentary work.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3,708 cases (2,480 in the last 5 years), 1982–2026 · leading case: Biller v. Colvin, 962 F. Supp. 2d 761 (W.D. Pa. 2013).
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Biller v. Colvin, 962 F. Supp. 2d 761 (W.D. Pa. 2013). · cites it 4× “In evaluating Plaintiffs RFC and finding that she could perform medium work, the ALJ stated that he considered “all symptoms and the extent to which these symptoms can reasonably be accepted as consistent with the objec *778 tive medical evidence and other evidence, based on the…”
Bonnilyn Mascio v. Carolyn Colvin, 780 F.3d 632 (4th Cir. 2015). · cites it 2× “” 20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (b) (defining “light work”).”
Lacey Reece v. Carolyn Colvin, 834 F.3d 904 (8th Cir. 2016). · cites it 2× “The ALJ then determined that Reece had the RFC to perform light work as defined in 20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (b), 3 except that she needed to be *908 limited to jobs that did not require climbing ladders, ropes, or scaffolds, or expose her to unprotected heights or hazards, and that…”
Gisela Jesurum, Appellant, v. Sec'y of the United States Dep't of Health & Human Servs., 48 F.3d 114 (3rd Cir. 1995). · cites it 4× “Miranda’s determination that Jesurum could sit intermittently for four hours of an eight hour day and lift up to twenty pounds, the ALJ found that Jesurum could perform the full range of “light work” as defined in 20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (b). Applying Rule 202.”
Joseph BURNS, Appellant v. Jo Anne B. BARNHART, Comm'r of the Soc. Sec. Admin., 312 F.3d 113 (3rd Cir. 2002). · cites it 2× “20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (2002). The ALJ determined that Bums’ exertional residual functional capacity enabled him to engage in a “slightly reduced range of light work.”
Thelma L. WALKER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Otis R. BOWEN, Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., Defendant-Appellee, 826 F.2d 996 (11th Cir. 1987). · cites it 3× “Claimant has the residual functional capacity to perform a reduced range of light work and the full range of sedentary work (20 CFR 416.967). *999 6. Claimant is 48 years old, which is defined as a younger individual (20 CFR 416.”
Watson v. Barnhart, 288 F.3d 212 (5th Cir. 2002). · cites it 3× “Watson’s other doctors did not place similar restrictions on lifting.”
Connie L. Baker, Appellant, v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., Appellee, 955 F.2d 552 (8th Cir. 1992). · cites it 3× “20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (c) (1991). Although the AU did not state the basis for this finding, it is consistent with the U.”
Deborah L. Burch v. Jo Anne B. Barnhart, Comm'r of Soc. Sec., 400 F.3d 676 (9th Cir. 2005). “See 20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (defining “light work”).”
Kandi Cline v. Carolyn W. Colvin, 771 F.3d 1098 (8th Cir. 2014). · cites it 2× “severe impairments “degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia”; (3) did not, despite those severe impairments, have “an impairment or combination of impairments that meets or medically equals the severity of one of the listed impairments in 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1”2…”
Cummings v. Colvin, 129 F. Supp. 3d 209 (W.D. Pa. 2015). · cites it 2× “” 20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (b). It-also requires-“standing or walking, off and on, for a total of approximately 6 hours of an 8-hour workday.”
Ellen L. Jones v. Margaret M. Heckler, Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 760 F.2d 993 (9th Cir. 1985). · cites it 2× “20 C.F.R. § 416.967 (c). Light work requires lifting up to twenty pounds, with frequent lifting and carrying of objects up to ten pounds, and a good deal of walking or standing or sitting with pushing and pulling controls.”
Show all 3,708 citing cases →
— 20 C.F.R. § 416.967(C) — 1 case
(SS) Corralejo v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec. (E.D. Cal. 2024).
— 20 C.F.R. § 416.967(a) — 437 cases
Ring v. Berryhill, 241 F. Supp. 3d 1235 (N.D. Ala. 2017).
Colbert v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec., 313 F. Supp. 3d 562 (S.D. Ill. 2018).
Palmer v. Apfel, 995 F. Supp. 549 (E.D. Pa. 1998).
Pruett v. Colvin, 85 F. Supp. 3d 1152 (N.D. Cal. 2015).
Cervantez v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec. Admin., 262 F. Supp. 3d 921 (D. Ariz. 2017).
— 20 C.F.R. § 416.967(b) — 1168 cases
Kandi Cline v. Carolyn W. Colvin, 771 F.3d 1098 (8th Cir. 2014). “severe impairments “degenerative arthritis and fibromyalgia”; (3) did not, despite those severe impairments, have “an impairment or combination of impairments that meets or medically equals the severity of one of the listed impairments in 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1”2…”
Johnnie Hardman v. Carolyn Colvin, Acting Cmsnr, 820 F.3d 142 (5th Cir. 2016).
Anthony Reeves v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec., 618 F. App'x 267 (6th Cir. 2015).
Koster v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec., 643 F. App'x 466 (6th Cir. 2016).
Davis v. Berryhill, 272 F. Supp. 3d 154 (D.D.C. 2017).
— 20 C.F.R. § 416.967(c) — 283 cases
Williams v. Colvin, 98 F. Supp. 3d 614 (W.D.N.Y. 2015).
Hall v. Colvin, 18 F. Supp. 3d 144 (D.R.I. 2014).
Richards v. Colvin, 223 F. Supp. 3d 296 (M.D. Penn. 2016).
Ortiz v. Astrue, 875 F. Supp. 2d 251 (S.D.N.Y. 2012).
Avila v. Astrue, 933 F. Supp. 2d 640 (S.D.N.Y. 2013).
— 20 C.F.R. § 416.967(d) — 2 cases
Boone v. Berryhill (S.D. Ala. 2019).
(SS) Verreault v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec. (E.D. Cal. 2022).
— 20 C.F.R. § 416.967(h) — 1 case
Buckles v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec. (E.D. Wash. 2019).
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