Owens诉社会保障署署长案

Plaintiff Terry Owens applied for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, alleging disability due to degenerative disc disease and other impairments. After an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) denied his claim, finding that his impairments did not preclude all work, Owens exhausted administrative remedies and sought review in federal district court, which affirmed the Commissioner’s decision. On appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Owens argued that the ALJ improperly discredited his subjective complaints of disabling pain without substantial evidence. On March 21, 2017, the appellate court issued a per curiam opinion rejecting this challenge, holding that the ALJ had correctly applied the applicable pain standard and articulated adequate reasons for finding Owens’s testimony not entirely credible. The court accordingly affirmed the denial of benefits, concluding that the Commissioner’s decision was supported by substantial evidence in the record.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's decision, upholding the Commissioner's denial of disability benefits.

Whether the Administrative Law Judge properly evaluated the plaintiff's subjective complaints of disabling pain under the Eleventh Circuit's pain standard, and whether the credibility determination was supported by substantial evidence.

The case reaffirmed the deference given to an ALJ's credibility determinations in Social Security disability appeals, reinforcing the requirement that claimants must provide objective medical evidence supporting their subjective pain testimony to establish disability.