Claire G. Collier v. Jo Anne B. Barnhart, Docket No. 06-3644-Cv

We are called upon to address a matter of human tragedy. Petitioner Claire Collier has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She has suffered greatly from this disease and, in addition to the physical pain, the financial cost has been staggering. However, we are compelled to conclude that the statute which guides this Court’s review denies Collier Social Security Disability Insurance (S SDI) and Medicare benefits because she does not have the required recent work history. Moreover, because petitioner cannot make out a constitutional challenge to the…