In Social Security Disability Cases, Don't Give Up - Rife v. Commissioner of Social Security

 

We know that the Social Security Disability claims process can be a long, complicated and even intimidating experience for a person who is injured, unable to work and seeking benefits. As the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in Rife v. Commissioner shows, a claimant should not give up until the process is complete. We advise our clients that the initial and reconsideration denials are designed to discourage claimants from going further with their claims.

Plaintiff Donald Rife filed a claim for Social Security Disability benefits, asserting that he was unable to work due to a back injury that he sustained working on a construction job. After the Social Security Administration (SSA) denied the claim, Rife appealed and requested a hearing before an SSA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

The ALJ determined that Rife could not return to construction work, but was not disabled for benefits purposes because, because he retained the residual functional capacity (RFC) to perform other jobs available in the national economy. Lawyer office in New York.

The Appeals Council upheld the ALJ's decision and he then filed this lawsuit in federal district court. The court again affirmed the ALJ's decision, denying Rife's claim.

On further appeal, the Sixth Circuit vacated the District Court's decision and remanded the case back to the ALJ for further proceedings. The Court found that the ALJ did not provide sufficient reasoning for rejecting the opinion of plaintiff's treating physician, Dr. Hall.

As readers of this blog may know, it is well established that "the ALJ must give controlling weight to a treating source's opinion if that opinion is well-supported by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques and is not inconsistent with the other substantial evidence in your case record." If an ALJ declines to give the opinion such weight, he must provide clear reasons for discounting or rejecting the opinion, based on evidence in the record.