Opinion ID: 183847
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Hypothetical Question

Text: Near the end of the hearing, the ALJ took testimony from Rocco Meola, a vocational expert. After confirming that Meola had reviewed the case file, the ALJ posed the following hypothetical question: ALJ: I‘d like to assume a person the claimant‘s age, education and work history. And further assume that this individual is limited to medium work, simple, routine, repetitive, one or two-step tasks and jobs where they would just have occasional interaction with the public or coworkers. Given this hypothetical individual, could this person perform the past relevant work of the claimant? VE: He could do the job of loading and unloading truck [sic] as he did it. And general warehouse work is also — would meet the classification. 6 (Id. 65.) Counsel for Smith asked Meola about the various respects in which Dr. Graff and Dr. Tan had concluded that Smith was ―moderately limited‖ in Section I of the Mental Residual Functional Capacity Assessment. After the ALJ directed counsel to provide Meola a definition of ―moderate,‖ Meola suggested that ―moderate‖ might mean ―that the person is not preclud[ed] from doing the activity, but does not do it at a level that would be consistent with what‘s acceptable in a national workforce.‖ (Id. 67-68.) If Smith were so limited in all the respects noted by Dr. Graff and Dr. Tan, Meola testified, Smith would not be able to return to his past relevant work.