What Does, "specialized Knowledge" Mean In This Context?
I live in the United States. I'm currently in the middle of a Social Security appeal. I attended my hearing a few months ago and just received a Notice of Decision denying my Social Security Income. There are many faults in the information, which leads me to believe that the attending Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is either intentionally trying to screw me over or wasn't paying attention during the hearing at all. Because of that, I can't help but be suspicious of everything she says. One of these is in regards to the psychiatric professional who attended the hearing. He never had the chance to interview me, he did not speak to me during the hearing, and he has no more information on my impairment than any other psychiatrist. Despite this, his opinion was that I am capable of working and should be denied SSI, and the ALJ gives his opinion "great weight" more so than any of the psychiatriac professionals mentioned in my medical records because he has, "specialized knowledge of the Social Security Administration's disability program". What exactly does that mean? To my ears, that sounds like an admission that he has a bias in favor of the SSA, especially because that is the only reason listed for why his opinion is given "great weight". Is that the case? If not, what does "specialized knowledge" even mean?