Thomas v. Berryhill, No. 16-4559 (8th Cir. 2018)
Annotate this CaseThe Eighth Circuit vacated the district court's decision affirming the denial of social security disability benefits to plaintiff. The court held that substantial evidence on the record as a whole supported the ALJ's decision to give plaintiff's treating physician's residual functioning capacity (RFC) assessments little weight and to rely more heavily on other opinions in the record. However, a conflict marred the expert's testimony that an individual with plaintiff's RFC could perform the work of a new accounts clerk. Therefore, the court remanded with instructions for the district court to return the case to the Social Security Administration for a new step-five determination.
Court Description: Arnold, Author, with Smith, Chief Judge, and Kelly, Circuit Judge] Civil case - Social Security. Substantial evidence on the record as a whole supported the ALJ's decision to give little weight to the treating physician's opinions in determining claimant's residual functional capacity; there was a conflict between the vocational expert's testimony regarding the level of unskilled work claimant could perform and the requirements of that position in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles; in light of this unresolved conflict, the matter must be remanded for a new five-step determination.
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