Jones v. Dudek

In an appeal of a denial of Social Security benefits, the Seventh Circuit considered the question of how to apply the Social Security Administration’s 2017 revision to the regulatory definition of a “medical opinion,” which required the court to distinguish between medical opinion evidence and other medical evidence. The plaintiff argued that the ALJ erred by not treating a statement from a medical examiner as a medical opinion. The Seventh Circuit agreed that the statement was a medical opinion, but nonetheless affirmed, explaining that the ALJ was not under an obligation to evaluate the statement for its persuasiveness because it was on an issue reserved to the commissioner of Social Security. (ROVNER and KOLAR, concurring)