Court of Appeals overturns Judge's decision that nurse is disabled

Sandra Whaley was a registered nurse with the Michigan Department of Corrections.  In 2006, she was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder compounded by anxiety.  The Social Security Administration found her to be disabled and she initially received long term disability (LTD) from the Civil Service Commision.  The latter benefit was  terminated by the "third-party administrator" of the LTD Plan (i.e., usually the insurance company that won the right to insure these benefits, but in this case the State Employees' Retirement System Board).

When the Civil Service Commission challenged Whaley's right to LTD benefits and the "Administrator" (no doubt filled by now with activist anti-employee, small government Republican crusaders) ruled that Whaley was not disabled, she appealed this decision to the Circuit Court.  She argued that it was arbitrary and capricious, particularly since the Social Security Administration had already found her to be disabled.  The Circuit Court judge overturned the CSC's decision on that basis, but was in turn reversed by the Court of Appeasls.

The higher court ruled that the CSC was not obligated to consider the decisions of other agencies and that the Circuit Judge exceeded his jurisdiction by analyzing the evidence relied upon by the CSC.  Apparently consistency IS the "hobgoblin of small minds."