What legal principle allows a previous determination of disability to be adopted in a new claim when the impairments remain unchanged?

The legal principle that allows a previous determination of disability to be adopted in a new claim when the impairments remain unchanged is collateral estoppel. This doctrine prevents a party from re-litigating issues that have already been definitively settled in a previous case. In the context of disability determinations, if a claimant's impairments have not changed since the last ruling, collateral estoppel enables the new claim to rely on the established finding of disability from the earlier claim, saving time and resources while maintaining judicial consistency.

In contrast, res judicata, while it also addresses the finality of decisions, applies more broadly to prohibit the same parties from re-litigating the same claim, rather than focusing specifically on the issues initially decided. Similarly, disability inference is not a recognized legal term related to prior determinations, and judicial notice refers to the acceptance of certain facts as universally known, which does not directly pertain to the application of a previous disability ruling.