Allen v. Barnhart
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
417 F.3d 396 (2005)
- Written by Heather Whittemore, JD
Facts
William Allen (plaintiff) had manic-depressive disorder and schizoid personality disorder. He received disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) (defendant) in 1994. In 1998 the SSA terminated Allen’s benefits after finding that Allen’s conditions had improved. Allen appealed, and the SSA appeals council remanded the decision to an administrative-law judge to determine whether any jobs existed in the national economy that Allen could perform. The administrative-law judge used the medical-vocational guidelines (the grids) as a guide and relied on Social Security Ruling 85-15 (SSR 85-15) to determine that despite Allen’s nonexertional limitations from his disorders, Allen was not disabled because he could perform jobs that existed in the national economy. The administrative-law judge referenced SSR 85-15 in his decision but did not clearly explain why SSR 85-15 related to Allen’s nonexertional limitations. The district court affirmed the administrative-law judge’s decision. Allen appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Rendell, J.)
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