Funny Business With Social Security Ruling

Here are some excerpts from Social Security Ruling 96-8p as it appears on Social Security's website:

Ordinarily, RFC is the individual's maximum remaining ability to do sustained work activities in an ordinary work setting on a regular and continuing basis, and the RFC assessment must include a discussion of the individual's abilities on that basis. ...

It is incorrect to find that an individual has limitations or restrictions beyond those caused by his or her medical impairment(s) including any related symptoms, such as pain, due to factors such as age or height, or whether the individual had ever engaged in certain activities in his or her past relevant work (e.g., lifting heavy weights.)

So what? The italics are in the original and official copy as published in the Federal Register, but not the bold face type. Adding bolding after the fact is inappropriate. Social Security can modify this ruling if it wants, but it is not supposed to do so surreptitiously. Lawyers take a dim view of this sort of thing.