Using Hidden Gems in Ruling to Win More Cases (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Sarah Bohr will share arguments based on published circuit cases addressing mental illness, two of which she’s won, such as: where "claimants consume antidepressant, anticonvulsant, and/or antipsychotic drugs, consistently attend visits with mental health professionals, and endure constant medication adjustment and management, their treatment is classified as anything but 'routine and conservative'"; an ALJ “must take into account the fundamental differences between the relaxed, controlled setting of a medical clinic and the more stressful environment of a workplace”; many people with severe mental illness "are still capable of eating, putting on clothes in the morning, and purchasing basic necessities"; but "[n]one of those activities, however, say much about whether a person can function in a work environment";it is "common knowledge that depression is one of the most underreported illnesses in the country because those afflicted often do not recognize that their condition reflects a potentially serious mental illness."

Key topics to be discussed:

• Reframing “Routine and Conservative” Treatment for Mental Illness
• Distinguishing Clinical Functioning from Workplace Demands
• Challenging Misuse of Daily Activities and Underreporting in Mental-Health Claims

This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.

Closed-captioning available