In a typical Arizona Social Security hearing, an administrative law judge (ALJ) will have a vocational expert present in the hearing room. It is required that the ALJ provide the Social Security claimant with written notice that a vocational expert will be present.

A vocational expert is a professional witness whose job is to analyze the national labor market and consider the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) in determining whether or not someone who has applied for Social Security Disability is eligible for benefits. Essentially, the vocational expert looks at the national labor market to determine whether the Social Security claimant can perform any jobs within the national labor market.

In a typical hearing, an ALJ will pose hypothetical questions to the vocational expert with the claimant’s permanent work restrictions to determine which jobs can be performed by the claimant.

Social Security claimants are allowed to cross examine the vocational expert. That is why it is essential to have an experienced Phoenix Social Security attorney in order to ask all of the right questions when cross examining a vocational expert.

Fendon Law Firm handles Social Security cases throughout the State of Arizona. We also handle workers’ compensation claims. We treat our clients like family because we are family. We have offices in Phoenix.