Administrative Law-Disability Insurance Benefits

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Michelle Baptist v. Kilolo Kijakazi

Case No.: 22-2281

Officials: Hamilton, Kirsch, and Pryor, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Administrative Law-Disability Insurance Benefits

After being involved in a car accident in 2013, Michelle Baptist, who was then 50 years old, began to suffer from severe neck and shoulder pain, as well as recurring headaches. It was discovered that she had one, possibly two, aneurysms. In the following year, she applied for Disability Insurance Benefits and Supplemental Security Income. Following a thorough review of her medical records and a hearing, an administrative law judge determined that Baptist still had the ability to perform light work and, therefore, was not considered disabled.

The Seventh Circuit upheld the decision made by the administrative law judge as it was supported by substantial evidence. Despite experiencing initial complications from a procedure to clip the aneurysm, Baptist’s medical records indicated that she made a complete recovery and did not exhibit any ongoing symptoms related to the aneurysm. In 2018, two doctors reviewed Baptist’s MRI and found no cause for concern, nor did they observe any impact on her functional capacity based on the MRI results. They noted that Baptist demonstrated normal strength in her upper and lower extremities, normal reflexes, a normal gait, and showed “no overt weakness.”

Affirmed.

Decided 07/14/23

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