Pennsylvania District Court Reverses ALJ

September 29, 2016.  In this case, a claimant with severe mental impairments (in addition to severe neck and shoulder impairments) was denied benefits.  Part of her treatment record included participation in a long-term partial hospitalization program, yet the ALJ did not sufficiently address this in his decision.  We argued that his failure to do so resulted in a denial that was not supported by substantial evidence.  The district court agreed, holding that this error left questions as to whether the ALJ considered the severity of the claimant’s mental health impairments or even if the claimant was able to work while participating in this program.