United States Ninth Circuit

Denial of claims for disability benefits under the Social Security Act is reversed where an ALJ improperly rejected an examining physician's opinion regarding claimant's thumb, and the error made the ALJ's use of the Medical-Vocational Guidelines in his final disability determination improper.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/26/2006
• Published 07/26/2006

Judges

• BROWNING, Circuit Judge:, Before: BROWNING, D.W. NELSON, and O'SCANNLAIN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Tim Wilborn, West Linn, OR, for the plaintiff-appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Robert D. McCallum, Jr., Assistant Attorney General, Karin J. Immergut, United States Attorney, Craig J. Casey, Assistant United States Attorney, Lucille Gonzales Meis, Region X Chief Counsel, Stephanie R. Martz, Assistant Regional Counsel, Seattle, WA, for the defendant-appellee.