Background
Mari Alvarez appealed the district court’s order affirming an administrative law judge’s denial of Social Security benefits. She challenged the discounting of medical opinions, her subjective symptom testimony, and the vocational expert’s job recommendations.
The court’s reasoning
The court affirmed the denial. It held that the plaintiff forfeited the challenge to medical opinions by not raising it in district court. It found the administrative law judge provided clear and convincing reasons to discount subjective testimony, citing reduced symptoms from treatment, situational stressors, and daily activities. It found no conflict between the plaintiff’s residual functional capacity and the jobs identified by the vocational expert.
What it means going forward
The decision reinforces the standard of review for Social Security benefit denials and the requirement for clear and convincing evidence to discount subjective symptoms.