Collins v. Astrue, No. 10-3194 (8th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseAppellant appealed the district court's order, which affirmed the decision of the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (Commissioner), denying appellant's application for disability benefits (DIB) under Title II of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 401 et seq. At issue was whether the ALJ committed legal error by failing to correctly apply the requisite five-step sequential evaluation process. The court held that the ALJ's failure to follow the mandated procedure was more than a mere oversight in opinion writing and that the ALJ was required to follow one of two paths at step five of the sequential process and there was no record indicating that the ALJ followed either path. Accordingly, the court reversed the district court's order affirming the Commissioner's decision and instructed the district court to remand the case to the Commissioner for further proceedings.
Court Description: Civil case - Social Security. The failure of the ALJ to follow the correct procedures at step five of the sequential evaluation process was more than a mere error in opinion writing, and the error required reversal and remand for further proceedings.
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