Opinion ID: 4419745
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Relevant Framework

Text: A person suffering from a disability that renders him un‐ able to work may apply to the Social Security Administration for disability benefits. If a claimant’s application is denied in‐ itially and on reconsideration, he may request a hearing be‐ fore an ALJ. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(b)(1); see also Smith v. Berryhill, 139 S. Ct. 1765, 1772 (2019). The ALJ is responsible for con‐ ducting a five‐step sequential evaluation process. Step one is to determine whether the claimant is currently engaging in gainful employment. At steps two and three, the ALJ consid‐ ers the severity of the disability. At step four, the ALJ deter‐ mines what the claimant’s disability leaves him able to do, i.e., his residual functional capacity, and whether given that ca‐ pacity he may still perform his past work. And last, at step five, the ALJ assesses the claimant’s residual functional capac‐ ity, age, education, and work experience to determine whether the claimant can perform work that is available in significant numbers in the national economy. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520; Briscoe ex rel. Taylor v. Barnhart, 425 F.3d 345, 352 (7th Cir. 2005). The final step is the crucial one in this case. It is also the only step for which the Administration bears the burden of proof. Liskowitz v. Astrue, 559 F.3d 736, 743 (7th Cir. 2009). To assess a claimant’s ability to continue working, the ALJ often relies on the testimony of vocational experts. See Weatherbee v. Astrue, 649 F.3d 565, 569 (7th Cir. 2011). Vocational experts must have specialized and current knowledge of “working No. 18‐1100 3 conditions and physical demands of various jobs; … the exist‐ ence and numbers of those jobs in the national economy; and involvement in or knowledge of placing adult workers with disabilities into jobs.” Biestek, 139 S. Ct. at 1152 (internal quo‐ tation marks omitted); see also Chavez v. Berryhill, 895 F.3d 962, 964 (7th Cir. 2018), cert. denied, 139 S. Ct. 808 (2019). In provid‐ ing assessments, vocational experts may rely on publicly available sources as well as data developed through their own experiences and research. See Biestek, 139 S. Ct. at 1152 (citing Social Security Ruling, SSR 00–4p, 65 Fed. Reg. 75760 (2000)).