A non-severe impairment must still be considered in Social Security’s work-capacity assessment. Consideration does not automatically require a restriction; look at the evidence and the decision’s reasoning.
Read the full article: Melody A. (2026): Mild Mental Limitations and the Disability RFC.
General information only, not legal advice. The full record and decision matter.
Transcript
A Social Security decision may call an impairment non-severe. That label does not mean it disappears from the later work-capacity assessment, called the RFC.
The rules require consideration of all medically determinable impairments, including those not found severe.
But consideration does not automatically require a work restriction. The useful question is what the evidence shows about specific work functions: focus, pace, interaction, and adapting to change.
When you read the decision, look for where it discusses the non-severe impairment and explains why the evidence does or does not support a work limit.
I’m Nick Feden of Feden Law Group. Your calm in the midst of chaos.