Jeffrey became disabled on January 28, 2016, because of his severe pancreatitis and migraine headaches.
Jeffrey had filed a claim for SSDI in June 29, 2014, which was initially denied on September 13, 2014, and then denied for a second time on December 20, 2014. Jeffrey appeared at a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge in Seattle, Washington on November 2, 2015. Jeffrey was represented by John Chihak. A medical expert appeared and testified at the hearing. A vocational expert also appeared at the hearing but did not testify.
During the hearing, Jeffrey testified that he worked for most of his life as an administrative assistant before developing pancreatitis and severe headaches. Jeffrey stated that his conditions caused him multiple problems despite his constant compliance with treatment. Jeffrey explained that he eventually had to quit his job in 2013 when his pancreatitis flare-up forced him to miss too much work.
At the hearing, a medical expert testified that the record shows that Jeffrey has pancreatitis and chronic headaches that have been consistent since he left work in 2013. The medical expert explained that the combination of Jeffrey’s impairments would interfere with his ability to perform a job on a regular basis. The medical expert based his testimony off the records obtained by Chihak + Chihak from the Swedish Medical Center in Edmonds, the Everett Clinic in Everett, and the Country Doctor in Seattle.
Based on the testimony of the medical expert as and the records obtained by Chihak + Chihak, the Administrative Law Judge concluded that there were no jobs that existed in the national economy that Jeffrey could perform. Jeffrey’s claim was approved.
