As you prepare for your hearing, you may be told that a vocational expert will be in the room with you. A vocational expert is a consultant hired by the Social Security Administration to give their opinion on whether or not jobs exist in the national economy for an individual with specific limitations. Questions to vocational experts are usually framed in the form of a question about a hypothetical individual, not you specifically. The vocational expert’s answer will generally be consistent with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (“DOT”)[1] and the Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined in the Revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles (“SCO”)[2].
The DOT provides an explanation of the maximum requirements of a particular job as it is generally performed, including the exertional level of the work, and the skill level of the work. The DOT will further provide a number that can be looked up in the SCO, where physical activities performed in a specific occupation will be addressed by type of activity and the frequency with which that activity must be able to be performed. For example, the SCO will note that a crossword-puzzle maker is never required by their profession to climb or balance, while a steeplejack is required to climb and balance frequently.
Where their testimony is inconsistent with these documents, it will generally be based on their experience and observation of particular jobs as they are performed in the field. If there are inconsistencies between the DOT and the vocational expert’s testimony, the Administrative Law Judge will ask the vocational expert to provide a reasonable explanation.[3]
For more information on the DOT, the SCO, and vocational experts, please continue to follow the Greeman Toomey, PLLC blog, or read about the early history of vocational experts in disability cases here.
