Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ared-3_19-cv-00061/USCOURTS-ared-3_19-cv-00061-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 863
Nature of Suit: Social Security - DIWC/DIWW (405(g))
Cause of Action: 42:405 Review of HHS Decision (DIWC)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS 

NORTHERN DIVISION 

DAVID CLAPP PLAINTIFF 

V. CASE NO. 3:19-cv-00061-JTK 

ANDREW SAUL, Commissioner DEFENDANT 

Social Security Administration 

ORDER 

 Pending before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Alter or Amend Judgment (DE 

# 14). For the reasons that follow, the motion is GRANTED. 

 On February 19, 2020, this Court entered an Order, and accompanying Judgment, 

reversing and remanding the case for further proceedings in order to resolve a possible 

conflict between the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and the vocational expert’s 

(VE) testimony. Additionally, the Court instructed the administrative law judge (ALJ) to 

specify the highest DOT reasoning level compatible with Plaintiff’s abilities. The 

Defendant has respectfully requested for this Court to revise the portion of its order 

directing for the ALJ to identify the highest reasoning level that the Plaintiff can perform 

so that the ALJ may have latitude to address the potential conflict with the VE while not 

being constrained to include Plaintiff’s highest reasoning level in the residual functional 

capacity (RFC) assessment. 

Case 3:19-cv-00061-JTK Document 17 Filed 04/24/20 Page 1 of 2
 Because the RFC is an administrative decision reserved to the Commissioner, and 

an ALJ is not required to incorporate reasoning level language into an RFC or hypothetical 

question, the Court hereby amends its Order and Judgment to remove the instruction 

directing the ALJ to identify the highest reasoning level Plaintiff can perform. 

 IT IS SO ORDERED this 24th day of April, 2020. 

___________________________________ 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE 

Case 3:19-cv-00061-JTK Document 17 Filed 04/24/20 Page 2 of 2