Step 1: Is the Claimant Engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity?

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) means doing work in the competitive workforce for which the claimant is paid more than $700 per month gross (before taxes).

If the claimant does gross more than $700 per month, advocates should find out if the claimant's income can be reduced by Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE's) or subsidies.

Self-employment is a special case, with rules that look at how much time the claimant puts in, how much money he/she takes out, and how other unimpaired people in that business fare.

STEP 2