Recently a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina ran a story about the Social Security disability decision making process called “Obsolete Jobs” Prevent People from Receiving Disability Payments (click on link to view story).  The story recounted the struggles of a Charlotte man who with a severe and painful back injury who was denied at his disability hearing by a judge who concluded that he has the capacity to perform a variety of non physically demanding jobs that exist in the economy.

Since the underlying question in every disability hearing asks whether the claimant has the capacity to perform even a simple, entry-level job, judges rely on vocational expert witnesses to identify jobs that a “hypothetical person” with the same impairments as the claimant could perform. Continue reading →