Facts
Ernst Müller, born in 1914, the owner of a carpentry business, has been suffering from polyarthritis for several years. He applied for a disability pension, which was initially granted to him only in part. Müller filed a complaint against this decision.Considerations
The Federal Court states that for employed persons, the degree of disability is generally determined based on a comparison of earnings. In cases where a reliable determination or estimation of hypothetical earnings is not possible, as is often the case with self-employed persons, a so-called "extraordinary assessment procedure" must be applied. In this procedure, the insured person's disability caused by the condition is first determined based on a comparison of activities, and then this is weighted in terms of its impact on earning capacity.
In the present case, the medical reports proved to be contradictory, so that the medical situation of the complainant was not sufficiently clarified. Furthermore, there were no details on the economic significance of the complainant's various business functions. The Federal Court therefore refers the…