Hebert v. US Social Security Administration, Commissioner
Filing
15
///ORDER denying 9 Motion to Reverse Decision of Commissioner; and granting 14 Motion to Affirm Decision of Commissioner. So Ordered by Judge Steven J. McAuliffe.(lat)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Melissa Jean Hebert,
Claimant
v.
Case No. 13-cv-102-SM
Opinion No. 2014 DNH 166
Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner,
Social Security Administration,
Defendant
O R D E R
Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g) and 1383(c)(3), claimant,
Melissa Hebert, moves to reverse or vacate the Acting
Commissioner’s decision denying her applications for Social
Security Disability Insurance Benefits under Title II of the
Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 423, and Supplemental Security
Income Benefits under Title XVI, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1381-1383c
(collectively, the “Act”).
The Acting Commissioner objects and
moves for an order affirming her decision.
For the reasons discussed below, claimant’s motion is
denied, and the Acting Commissioner’s motion is granted.
Factual Background
I.
Procedural History.
In 2009, claimant filed applications for Disability
Insurance Benefits and Supplemental Security Income, alleging
that she had been disabled since November 11, 2008.
Those
applications were denied and claimant requested a hearing before
an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”).
In November of 2011, claimant, her attorney, and an
impartial vocational expert appeared before an ALJ, who
considered claimant’s applications de novo.
The following month,
the ALJ issued his written decision, concluding that claimant was
not disabled, as that term is defined in the Act, at any time
prior to the date of his decision.
Claimant then sought review
of the ALJ’s decision by the Appeals Council.
On January 9,
2013, the request was denied.
Accordingly, the ALJ’s denial of claimant’s applications for
benefits became the final decision of the Commissioner, subject
to judicial review.
Subsequently, claimant filed a timely action
in this court, asserting that the ALJ’s decision is not supported
by substantial evidence.
She then filed a “Motion for an Order
Reversing Decision of the Commissioner” (document no. 9).
response, the Acting Commissioner filed a “Motion for Order
In
2
Affirming the Decision of the Commissioner” (document no. 14).
Those motions are pending.
II.
Stipulated Facts.
Pursuant to this court’s Local Rule 9.1, the parties have
submitted a statement of stipulated facts which, because it is
part of the court’s record (document no. 13), need not be
recounted in this opinion.
Those facts relevant to the
disposition of this matter are discussed as appropriate.
Standard of Review
I.
“Substantial Evidence” and Deferential Review.
Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), the court is empowered “to
enter, upon the pleadings and transcript of the record, a
judgment affirming, modifying, or reversing the decision of the
Commissioner of Social Security, with or without remanding the
cause for a rehearing.”
Factual findings and credibility
determinations made by the Commissioner are conclusive if
supported by substantial evidence.
1383(c)(3).
See 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g),
See also Irlanda Ortiz v. Secretary of Health &
Human Services, 955 F.2d 765, 769 (1st Cir. 1991).
Substantial
evidence is “such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might
accept as adequate to support a conclusion.”
Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229 (1938).
3
Consolidated Edison
It is something less than
a preponderance of the evidence, so the possibility of drawing
two inconsistent conclusions from the evidence does not prevent
an administrative agency’s finding from being supported by
substantial evidence.
Consolo v. Federal Maritime Comm’n., 383
U.S. 607, 620 (1966).
See also Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S.
389, 401 (1971).
II.
The Parties’ Respective Burdens.
An individual seeking Social Security disability benefits is
disabled under the Act if she is unable “to engage in any
substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically
determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected
to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last
for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.”
§ 423(d)(1)(A).
See also 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3).
42 U.S.C.
The Act
places a heavy initial burden on the claimant to establish the
existence of a disabling impairment.
See Bowen v. Yuckert, 482
U.S. 137, 146-47 (1987); Santiago v. Secretary of Health & Human
Services, 944 F.2d 1, 5 (1st Cir. 1991).
To satisfy that burden,
the claimant must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that
her impairment prevents her from performing her former type of
work.
See Gray v. Heckler, 760 F.2d 369, 371 (1st Cir. 1985);
Paone v. Schweiker, 530 F. Supp. 808, 810-11 (D. Mass. 1982).
the claimant demonstrates an inability to perform her previous
4
If
work, the burden shifts to the Commissioner to show that there
are other jobs in the national economy that she can perform, in
light of her age, education, and prior work experience.
Seavey v. Barnhart. 276 F.3d 1, 5 (1st Cir. 2001).
See
See also 20
C.F.R. §§ 404.1512(f) and 416.912(f).
In assessing a disability claim, the Commissioner considers
both objective and subjective factors, including: (1) objective
medical facts; (2) the claimant’s subjective claims of pain and
disability, as supported by the testimony of the claimant or
other witnesses; and (3) the claimant’s educational background,
age, and work experience.
See, e.g., Avery v. Secretary of
Health & Human Services, 797 F.2d 19, 23 (1st Cir. 1986);
Goodermote v. Secretary of Health & Human Services, 690 F.2d 5, 6
(1st Cir. 1982).
Ultimately, a claimant is disabled only if her:
physical or mental impairment or impairments are of
such severity that [she] is not only unable to do [her]
previous work but cannot, considering [her] age,
education, and work experience, engage in any other
kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the
national economy, regardless of whether such work
exists in the immediate area in which [she] lives, or
whether a specific job vacancy exists for [her], or
whether [she] would be hired if [she] applied for work.
42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(2)(A).
See also 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(B).
5
With those principles in mind, the court reviews claimant’s
motion to reverse and the Acting Commissioner’s motion to affirm
her decision.
Background - The ALJ’s Findings
In concluding that claimant was not disabled within the
meaning of the Act, the ALJ properly employed the mandatory fivestep sequential evaluation process described in 20 C.F.R.
§§ 404.1520 and 416.920.
Accordingly, he first determined that
claimant had not been engaged in substantial gainful employment
since her alleged onset of disability: November 11, 2008.
Rec. (document no. 7) at 15.
Admin.
Next, he concluded that claimant
suffers from the following severe impairments: “Fibromyalgia
syndrome, obesity, patello-femoral arthritis, a mood disorder, an
anxiety disorder and a history of polysubstance abuse (currently
in remission).”
Id.
Nevertheless, the ALJ determined that those
impairments, regardless of whether they were considered alone or
in combination, did not meet or medically equal one of the
impairments listed in Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1.
Rec. at 16-18.
6
Admin.
Next, the ALJ concluded that claimant retained the residual
functional capacity (“RFC”) to perform the exertional demands of
a range of light work.1
He noted, however, that claimant:
is limited to occasional climbing, balancing, stooping,
kneeling, crouching and crawling. She is limited to
simple instructions, but can concentrate and persist at
such tasks for 2-hour intervals. She is able to
interact with supervisors and co-workers on a routine
basis. She is limited to superficial interaction with
the public. She is limited to working one-to-one with
co-workers and should not interact with the public.
She can adapt to routine changes, but should be limited
to making only routine work-related decisions.
Id. at 18.
In light of those restrictions, and based upon the
testimony of the vocational expert, the ALJ concluded that
claimant was not capable of performing any of her past relevant
work.
Id. at 21.
Finally, the ALJ considered whether there were any jobs in
the national economy that claimant might perform.
1
Relying upon
“RFC is what an individual can still do despite his or her
functional limitations. RFC is an administrative assessment of
the extent to which an individual’s medically determinable
impairment(s), including any related symptoms, such as pain, may
cause physical or mental limitations or restrictions that may
affect his or her capacity to do work-related physical and mental
activities. 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.” Social Security Ruling (“SSR”), 96-8p,
Policy Interpretation Ruling Titles II and XVI: Assessing
Residual Functional Capacity in Initial Claims, 1996 WL 374184 at
*2 (July 2, 1996) (citation omitted).
7
the testimony of a vocational expert, the ALJ concluded that
notwithstanding claimant’s exertional and non-exertional
limitations, she “is capable of making a successful adjustment to
other work that exists in significant numbers in the national
economy.”
Id. at 22.
Consequently, the ALJ concluded that
claimant was not “disabled,” as that term is defined in the Act,
through the date of his decision.
Discussion
Claimant challenges the ALJ’s decision on three grounds,
asserting that he erred by: (1) failing to properly determine
claimant’s residual functional capacity; (2) failing to properly
assess and weigh the opinions of claimant’s medical providers;
and (3) failing to properly assess claimant’s credibility.
I.
Claimant’s Residual Functional Capacity.
Claimant challenges the ALJ’s determination that she was
capable of performing a range of light work, asserting that the
ALJ relied upon medical opinions that failed to take into
consideration the debilitating effects of her fibromyalgia,
diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue.
She also says the ALJ
failed to properly account for her mental limitations and
erroneously found she was capable of performing jobs that are
inconsistent with her GED reasoning level.
8
The court disagrees.
The ALJ afforded substantial weight to the opinions of the
state agency reviewing physicians John MacEachran and Aroon
Suansilppongse.
Admin. Rec. at 20.
See also Id. at 416-23
(Residual Functional Capacity Assessment completed by John
MacEachran, M.D.); Id. at 398-411 (Psychiatric Review Technique
completed by Aroon Suansilppongse, M.D.); and Id. at 412-14
(Mental Residual Functional Capacity Assessment prepared by Aroon
Suansilppongse, M.D.).
The ALJ noted that those assessments of
claimant’s impairments and capabilities were prepared prior to
her having been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
But, he also
supportably concluded that claimant’s fibromyalgia, even when
considered together with her other impairments, did not render
her disabled.
Greater weight is afforded to the opinions of State
Agency reviewing physicians, Dr. MacEachran and Dr.
Suansilppongse. Dr. MacEachran’s opinion is well
articulated and persuasive. He addressed the limited
objective results along with the claimant’s activities
of daily living as well as some inconsistencies in her
medical record. Similarly, Dr. Suansilppongse’s
assessment is also well reasoned and well supported by
medical source examination results, by the claimant’s
daily activities and by evidence of her minimal
subsequent treatment. While the claimant was diagnosed
with Fibromyalgia after her records were seen by Dr.
MacEachran, her report of her daily activities is quite
consistent with her activity level prior to this
diagnoses. Finally, no treating physician has opined
that claimant is unable to work.
Admin. Rec. at 20.
As the Acting Commissioner notes, the ALJ is
permitted to rely upon a non-examining medical source’s opinions
9
even when that source did not have access to subsequentlyproduced medical evidence, provided that evidence does not
establish the existence of any greater limitations.
See, e.g.,
Ferland v. Astrue, 2011 WL 5199989 at *4, 2011 DNH 169 (D.N.H.
Oct. 31, 2011) (“[A]n ALJ may rely on [the opinion of a nonexamining medical source] where the medical evidence post-dating
the reviewer’s assessment does not establish any greater
limitations, or where the medical reports of claimant’s treating
providers are arguably consistent with, or at least not ‘clearly
inconsistent’ with, the reviewer’s assessment.”) (citations
omitted).
Such was the case here.
Notwithstanding claimant’s
assertions to the contrary, there was little evidence to support
a finding that her fibromyalgia further limited her ability to
engage in substantial gainful activity.
While claimant points to
the office notes of Heather Marks, M.D., those notes merely
recount claimant’s statements to Dr. Marks about her abilities;
they do not contain any results from diagnostic or occupational
testing, nor do they appear to represent Dr. Marks’s independent
assessment of claimant’s abilities.
See generally Scanlon v.
Astrue, 2013 WL 3229677 at* 4 n.2, 2013 DNH 88
(D.N.H. June 25,
2013) (“An ALJ need not give great weight to a physician’s
narratives that rely more on the claimant’s subjective reports to
10
the physician than they rely on his or her own observations or
clinical findings.”) (citations and internal punctuation
omitted).
The ALJ adequately explained his decision to afford greater
weight to the opinions of the state agency physicians, as well as
his decision to discount those of Dr. Marks.
He also supportably
concluded that claimant’s subsequent diagnosis of fibromyalgia
did not undermine the opinions rendered by Dr. MacEachran and Dr.
Suansilppongse.
As for claimant’s assertion that her diarrhea and
constipation further erode the relevant occupational base, there
is little evidence in the record to support her claim that she
would require anything more than regularly scheduled work breaks
- something the vocational expert testified could be accommodated
by the jobs he concluded claimant could perform.
at 73-74.
See Admin. Rec.
The ALJ did not err in determining that claimant could
perform a job that afforded her regularly scheduled breaks,
during which she could “get away from the job if needed.”
Id. at
73.
Next, claimant focuses on the psychiatric evaluation
prepared by Stephanie Griffin, PhD, see Admin. Rec. at 374-76,
11
asserting that the ALJ failed to afford it appropriate weight.
But, because Dr. Griffin was a non-treating source, her opinions
were not entitled to controlling weight.
§ 404.1527(c).
See generally 20 C.F.R.
As the Acting Commissioner notes, claimant’s
primary care physician treated claimant for mental health issues.
And, those records were available to, and reviewed by, Dr.
Suansilppongse in forming his opinions (to which the ALJ afforded
substantial weight).
Claimant’s assertion that the ALJ
misconstrued Dr. Suansilppongse’s opinions, see claimant’s
memorandum at 9-10), are unavailing.
The ALJ’s determination of
claimant’s RFC is consistent with those opinions, which Dr.
Suansilppongse summarized as follows:
The claimant is able to understand and remember simple
instructions. She is able to carry out simple
instructions. Her ability for sustained concentration
and persistence or for task completion would be
minimally limited due to anxiety and depressive
reaction as well as alleged pain. Her ability for
appropriate interaction with supervisors, coworkers or
the public would be minimally limited due to social
avoidance and infrequent episodes of panic attacks,
irritability, anger and antisocial behavior. Her
adaptability in a routine work setting would be
minimally limited due to transient cognitive
dysfunction and polysubstance abuse.
The psychiatric impairment severity does not meet or
equal any Listing. The claimant has mental capacity
for simple work related activity with infrequent
contact with the public. Diagnoses: 1. Mood Disorder
NOS r/o Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, 2. Polysubstance
12
Abuse/Dependence. The claimant’s allegations are
considered partially credible.
Admin. Rec. at 396-97 (“Case Analysis” provided by Dr.
Suansilppongse).
Finally, claimant asserts that her residual functional
capacity (as determined by the ALJ) was inconsistent with each of
the jobs identified by the vocational expert as ones she could
perform.
Specifically, she says that, “each of the three jobs
[c]ited by the VE [is] unskilled and the VE testified that they
all have a level 2 in the reasoning division of the GED scale,
meaning that they require more than the ability to carry out
simple instructions which was the limitation imposed by the ALJ’s
RFC.”
Claimant’s memorandum at 11-12.2
2
The Dictionary of Occupational Titles defines “General
Educational Development” (“GED”) as “those aspects of education
(formal and informal) which are required of the worker for
satisfactory job performance. This is education of a general
nature which does not have a recognized, fairly specific
occupational objective.” Dict. of Occupational Titles, Vol. II,
Appendix C (4th ed. 1991) at 1009-12. The GED scale is comprised
of three sections, one of which is “reasoning.” Level 1
reasoning requires the individual to “carry out simple one or
two-step instructions.” Level 2, on the other hand, requires the
individual to “apply common sense understanding to carry out
detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions [and to]
deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in or from
standardized situations.” Id. at 1011.
Claimant asserts that her RFC precluded her from performing
any jobs requiring Level 2 reasoning.
13
The relevant portion of the ALJ’s RFC determination provides
that claimant is “limited to simple instructions, but can
concentrate and persist at such tasks for 2-hour intervals.”
Admin. Rec. at 18.
Although claimant has pointed to no precedent
in support of her position, the Acting Commission has cited
several courts that have addressed, and rejected, precisely the
argument claimant advances.
Most recently, the United States
District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Saylor, J.)
observed the following:
To support the proposition that limitation to “simple”
work is inconsistent with GED reasoning level of 2,
plaintiff largely relies upon cases from the District
of Maine. Since the filing of the parties’ briefs,
however, the Maine District Court has reexamined and
vacated its line of cases finding a discrepancy between
a limitation to simple tasks or instructions and a GED
reasoning level of 2. The [Maine] court noted that
[those earlier cases] are “increasingly in the
minority” on the question of whether a limitation to
simple instructions or tasks conflicts with a GED
reasoning level of 2, and that DOT definitions, created
by the Department of Labor, are not necessarily totally
compatible with regulations created by the Social
Security Administration. It found persuasive the
reasoning of the court in Meissl v. Barnhart, 403 F.
Supp. 2d 981, 983–84 (C.D. Cal. 2005), which contrasted
the Social Security Administration’s separation of a
claimant’s ability to understand, remember, and carry
out instructions into merely two categories (“simple”
and “detailed”) with the DOT’s more graduated scale of
six reasoning levels, and determined that the use of
the terms “simple” and “detailed” in the Social
Security regulations cannot necessarily be equated with
the use of the same words in the GED reasoning scale.
The court in Meissl also highlighted the fact that the
term “detailed” in the GED reasoning level 2 appears as
14
part of the phrase “detailed but uninvolved” — “that
is, not a high level of reasoning.” Meissl, 403 F.
Supp. 2d at 985.
Lafrennie v. Astrue, 2011 WL 1103278, *7 -9 (D. Mass. 2011)
(citations and internal punctuation omitted).
See also Pepin v.
Astrue, 2010 WL 3361841, *4-5 (D. Me. 2010) (“The clear majority
of the courts that have addressed this issue since 2005,
including three circuit courts of appeal, agree with the Meissl
court.”).
See generally Auger v. Astrue, 792 F. Supp. 2d 92, 96-
97 (D. Ma. 2011) (collecting cases).
This court joins the majority of district and circuit courts
in holding that an RFC limiting a claimant to jobs involving
“simple instructions” does not, standing alone, eliminate
positions identified in the DOT as requiring “Level 2” reasoning.
II.
Treating Source Opinions.
In discussing the weight that will be ascribed to the
opinions of “treating sources,” the pertinent regulations
provide:
Generally, we give more weight to opinions from [the
claimant’s] treating sources, since these sources are
likely to be the medical professionals most able to
provide a detailed, longitudinal picture of [the
claimant’s] medical impairment(s) . . . When we do not
give the treating source’s opinion controlling weight,
we apply the factors listed [in this section] in
determining the weight to give the opinion. We will
15
always give good reasons in our notice of determination
or decision for the weight we give [the claimant’s]
treating source’s opinion.
20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(c)(2).
See also Social Security Ruling,
Policy Interpretation Ruling Titles II and XVI: Giving
Controlling Weight to Treating Source Medical Opinions, SSR 962p, 1996 WL 374188 (July 2, 1996).
Importantly, however, there
is no per se rule requiring the ALJ to give controlling weight to
the opinion of a treating source; to be entitled to such weight,
a treating source’s opinions must be “well-supported by medically
acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques and
[cannot be] inconsistent with the other substantial evidence in
[the] case record.”
20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(c)(2).
Claimant asserts that the ALJ erred by failing to adequately
consider Dr. Marks’s statement that claimant “has great
difficulty lifting any more than 10 lbs.
She has difficulty
sitting still or standing still and has to shift positions
frequently.”
Admin. Rec. at 452.
As noted above, however, Dr.
Marks’s notes merely recount claimant’s statements about her
abilities; those notes do not contain any results from diagnostic
or occupational testing, nor do they appear to represent Dr.
Marks’s independent assessment of claimant’s abilities.
Indeed,
as the Acting Commissioner points out, those notes are contained
within a section of Dr. Marks’s report entitled “Subjective.”
16
Moreover, the ALJ adequately explained his decision to afford Dr.
Marks’s “opinions” less than controlling weight.
The undersigned has also considered the statements made
in Dr. Heather Marks’s record at Exhibit 13F, p.18.
She noted that the claimant had difficulty lifting any
more than 10 pounds and that she needed to shift
positions frequently. However, [Dr. Marks] did not
report any observations of such limitations. It is
also noted that the claimant had not complied with
treatment and had stopped her medication without
discussing it with this physician.
Admin. Rec. at 20.3
Finally, claimant asserts that the ALJ “ignored the
diagnosis of fibromyalgia and all the symptoms and limitations
that result from that diagnosis,” claimant’s memorandum at 14 despite the fact that the ALJ specifically found that
fibromyalgia syndrome is one of claimant’s severe impairments.
Again, the court disagrees.
The ALJ properly considered
claimant’s medical records, explained why he was affording more
weight to some medical opinions than others, and concluded that
3
Dr. Marks observed that, due to the cost of prescribed
medications, claimant did not comply with some of her prescribed
treatments. See Admin. Rec. at 452 (“I told her I would be
increasing the dose [of Neurontin]. However, she stopped this
medication prior to any increase in her dose due to cost.”). Dr.
Marks also noted that she told claimant that, although she
claimed to experience continued symptoms from fibromyalgia, “she
has not yet tried or failed all of the drug therapy available for
fibromyalgia.” Id.
17
the symptoms and limitations imposed by claimant’s fibromyalgia
were not as significant as she claimed.
In sum, while the claimant’s physical impairments are
significant, they have been managed symptomatically
with medications such as Cymbalta. Consistent with
Fibromyalgia in particular, objective medical signs
have been limited. Moreover, the claimant’s activities
of daily living show a relatively active lifestyle
(Exhibit 5E and testimony). The claimant’s testimony
challenging such statements is not entirely credible as
it is now self-serving. The undersigned similarly
calls into question her credibility given significant
inconsistencies regarding her substance abuse as late
as 2010. In short, while the claimant has some
significant issue[s] related to both her mental health
and physical functioning, the evidence simply does not
support the level of impairment alleged by her.
Admin. Rec. at 20-21.
Those findings are supported by
substantial evidence in the record.
III. Claimant’s Credibility.
Finally, claimant challenges the ALJ’s conclusion that some
of her assertions of disabling limitations - particularly those
related to symptoms of fibromyalgia - were less than entirely
credible.
As noted above, however, the ALJ adequately grounded
his findings - including those relating to claimant’s credibility
- in the factual record.
While the court of appeals for this
circuit has recognized that, “[t]he primary symptom of
fibromyalgia, of course, is chronic widespread pain,” Johnson v.
Astrue, 597 F.3d 409, 414 (1st Cir. 2009), the ALJ did not
18
discredit claimant’s subjective complaints of pain.
merely concluded that they were overstated.
Instead, he
It is, perhaps,
worth noting that, “the mere diagnosis of an impairment does not
render an individual disabled nor does it reveal anything about
the limitations, if any, it imposes upon an individual.”
McKenzie v. Commissioner, Social Security Administration, 2000 WL
687680, 5 (6th Cir. 2000).
Here, while claimant plainly suffers from fibromyalgia, the
ALJ concluded, based upon substantial evidence in the record,
that it did not render her disabled.
And, he supportably found
that claimant’s assertions to the contrary were not entirely
credible.
Cf. Cusson v. Liberty Life Assur. Co., 592 F.3d 215,
227 (1st Cir. 2010) (“We recognize that fibromyalgia is a disease
that is diagnosed primarily based on a patient’s self-reported
pain symptoms.
However, Liberty’s reviewers did not question the
diagnosis of fibromyalgia; instead, they questioned the effect of
the disease on Cusson’s ability to work.
This court draws a
distinction between requiring objective evidence of the
diagnosis, which is impermissible for a condition such as
fibromyalgia that does not lend itself to objective verification,
and requiring objective evidence that the plaintiff is unable to
work, which is allowed.
Because it is permissible to require
documented, objective evidence of disability, it was not
19
inappropriate for Liberty’s reviewers to rely on the lack of such
documented evidence . . . in making their recommendations.”)
(citations and internal punctuation omitted).
Conclusion
This court’s review of the ALJ’s decision is both limited
and deferential.
It is not empowered to consider claimant’s
application de novo, nor may it undertake an independent
assessment of whether she is, in fact, disabled.
Rather, the
court’s inquiry is “limited to determining whether the ALJ
deployed the proper legal standards and found facts upon the
proper quantum of evidence.”
(1st Cir. 1999).
Nguyen v. Chater, 172 F.3d 31, 35
Provided the ALJ’s findings are properly
supported by substantial evidence, the court must sustain those
findings even when there may also be substantial evidence
supporting the contrary position.
Such is the nature of judicial
review of disability benefit determinations.
See, e.g., Tsarelka
v. Secretary of Health & Human Services, 842 F.2d 529, 535 (1st
Cir. 1988) (“[W]e must uphold the [Commissioner’s] conclusion,
even if the record arguably could justify a different conclusion,
so long as it is supported by substantial evidence.”).
Consequently, while there is certainly substantial evidence in
the record demonstrating that claimant experiences pain and
discomfort as a result of her fibromyalgia, and that she suffers
20
from anxiety and depression, the existence of such evidence is
not sufficient to undermine the ALJ’s decision, which is also
supported by substantial evidence.
Having carefully reviewed the administrative record
(including the testimony of the claimant and the vocational
expert), as well as the arguments advanced by both the Acting
Commissioner and claimant, the court concludes that there is
substantial evidence in the record to support the ALJ’s
determination that claimant was not disabled at any time prior to
the date of his decision (December 28, 2011).
The ALJ’s
determination of claimant’s RFC, his weighing of the various
medical opinions of record, and his credibility determination are
well-reasoned and supported by substantial documentary evidence.
For the foregoing reasons, as well as those set forth in the
Acting Commissioner’s memorandum, claimant’s motion to reverse
the decision of the Commissioner (document no. 9) is denied, and
the Acting Commissioner’s motion to affirm her decision (document
no. 14) is granted.
The Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment
in accordance with this order and close the case.
21
SO ORDERED.
____________________________
Steven J. McAuliffe
United States District Judge
August 6, 2014
cc:
Elizabeth R. Jones, Esq.
T. David Plourde, Esq.
22
Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. These filings and docket sheets should not be considered findings of fact or liability, nor do they necessarily reflect the view of Justia.
Why Is My Information Online?