Pearson v. Colvin

Plaintiff appealed the denial of his application for Social Security disability benefits, contending that the ALJ failed to resolve a conflict between the vocational expert's testimony and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. The court held that an ALJ has not fully developed the record if it contains an unresolved conflict between the expert’s testimony and the Dictionary; nor has the ALJ fulfilled this duty if he ignores an apparent conflict because the expert testified that no conflict existed. In this case, the ALJ did not fulfill his duty to make an independent identification of apparent conflicts. Accordingly, the court reversed and remanded for further proceedings. View "Pearson v. Colvin" on Justia Law