Case Explained: CLYBURN V. BISIGNANO

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Filed: 2026-08-12 Docket: 3:25-cv-00048-KFR The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment upholding the Commissioner of Social Security’s denial of disability insurance benefits and supplemental security income under Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act. The court applied a de novo standard of review, setting aside an administrative law judge’s (ALJ) decision only if it contains legal error or is not supported by substantial evidence. The key legal issue addressed was whether the ALJ committed reversible error by relying on vocational expert testimony that appeared to conflict with the claimant’s residual functional capacity limitations. Specifically, the plaintiff argued that the ALJ erred in finding she could perform “light work” despite limiting her to one hour of standing and walking per day, a restriction that seemingly conflicts with the requirements for the full range of light exertional level work. The court held that while the testimony conflicted with the maximum level of light work, it did not preclude the claimant from performing jobs within the light category that require less than the full range of such work. The court noted that the vocational expert explained this distinction and accounted for the plaintiff’s specific limitations by reducing the number of available jobs by 60%. Relying on the inherent reliability of vocational expert testimony and the principle that an ALJ may appropriately rely on such experts to determine if particular jobs are performable despite classification discrepancies, the court found substantial evidence in the record to support the conclusion that the plaintiff could perform other work existing in significant numbers in the national economy. As a result of this affirmation, the denial of the plaintiff’s application for benefits remains in effect, and she is not entitled to disability insurance or supplemental security income under the Social Security Act. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.