Lovely v. Commissioner of Social Security

Filing 16

ORDER: it is hereby ORDERED, as follows: Plaintiff's motion for judgment on the pleadings is GRANTED. The Commissioner's determination that plaintiff was not disabled at the relevant times, and thus is not entitled to benefits under the Soc ial Security Act, is VACATED. The matter is hereby REMANDED to the Commissioner, without a directed finding of disability, for further proceedings consistent with this determination. The clerk is respectfully directed to enter judgment, based upon this determination, remanding the matter to the Commissioner pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. ' 405(g) and closing this case. Signed by Magistrate Judge David E. Peebles on May 9, 2022. (gmd, )

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Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 1 of 19 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK JONATHON L., v. Plaintiff, Civil Action No. 8:20-CV-1280 (DEP) COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY, Defendant. APPEARANCES: OF COUNSEL: FOR PLAINTIFF LAW OFFICES OF STEVEN R. DOLSON 126 North Salina Street, Suite 3B Syracuse, NY 13202 GREGORY P. FAIR, ESQ. STEVEN R. DOLSON, ESQ. FOR DEFENDANT SOCIAL SECURITY ADMIN. 625 JFK Building 15 New Sudbury St Boston, MA 02203 DANIEL STICE TARABELLI, ESQ. DAVID E. PEEBLES U.S. MAGISTRATE JUDGE ORDER Currently pending before the court in this action, in which plaintiff Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 2 of 19 seeks judicial review of an adverse administrative determination by the Commissioner of Social Security (“Commissioner”), pursuant to 42 U.S.C. ' 405(g), are cross-motions for judgment on the pleadings. 1 Oral argument was conducted in connection with those motions on April 14, 2022, during a telephone conference held on the record. I issued a bench decision on April 15, 2022, in which, after applying the requisite deferential review standard, I found that the Commissioner=s determination did not result from the application of proper legal principles and is not supported by substantial evidence, providing further detail regarding my reasoning and addressing the specific issues raised by the plaintiff in this appeal. After due deliberation, and based upon the court=s oral bench decision, a transcript of which is attached and incorporated herein by reference, it is hereby ORDERED, as follows: 1) Plaintiff=s motion for judgment on the pleadings is GRANTED. 2) The Commissioner=s determination that plaintiff was not disabled at the relevant times, and thus is not entitled to benefits under the This matter, which is before me on consent of the parties pursuant to 28 U.S.C. ' 636(c), has been treated in accordance with the procedures set forth in General Order No. 18. Under that General Order once issue has been joined, an action such as this is considered procedurally, as if cross-motions for judgment on the pleadings had been filed pursuant to Rule 12(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 1 2 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 3 of 19 Social Security Act, is VACATED. 3) The matter is hereby REMANDED to the Commissioner, without a directed finding of disability, for further proceedings consistent with this determination. 4) The clerk is respectfully directed to enter judgment, based upon this determination, remanding the matter to the Commissioner pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. ' 405(g) and closing this case. Dated: May 9, 2022 Syracuse, NY 3 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 4 of 19 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK --------------------------------------------x JONATHON L., Plaintiff, vs. 8:20-CV-1280 COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY, Defendant. --------------------------------------------x Transcript of a Decision held during a Telephone Conference on April 15, 2022, the HONORABLE DAVID E. PEEBLES, United States Magistrate Judge, Presiding. A P P E A R A N C E S (By Telephone) For Plaintiff: DOLSON LAW OFFICE Attorneys at Law 126 N. Salina Street, Suite 3B Syracuse, New York 13202 BY: GREGORY P. FAIR, ESQ. For Defendant: SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Office of General Counsel J.F.K. Federal Building Room 625 Boston, Massachusetts 02203 BY: DANIEL STICE TARABELLI, ESQ. Jodi L. Hibbard, RPR, CSR, CRR Official United States Court Reporter 100 South Clinton Street Syracuse, New York 13261-7367 (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 5 of 19 2 1 (The Court and all counsel present by 2 3 telephone, 12:00 p.m.) THE CLERK: We're on the record in the case of 4 Jonathon L. versus Commissioner of Social Security, Case 5 Number 8:20-CV-1280. 6 appearances for the record starting with plaintiff. 7 MR. FAIR: Counsel, can you please state your Yep, good afternoon I think at this 8 point, Gregory Fair from the law offices of Steven Dolson on 9 behalf of the plaintiff. 10 MR. TARABELLI: 11 Dan Tarabelli for the Commissioner. 12 THE COURT: Good afternoon, your Honor, this is Good afternoon, Counsel. Let me set 13 the stage by saying that I heard oral argument in this case 14 yesterday. 15 argument that I thought warranted me to take a close look at 16 the case and my initial impression. 17 ready to render a decision in this case. 18 There were some matters raised during the Having done that, I'm The plaintiff has commenced this action pursuant to 19 42 United States Code Section 405(g) to challenge an adverse 20 determination by the Acting Commissioner finding that he was 21 not disabled at the relevant times and therefore ineligible 22 for the benefits sought by him. 23 The background is as follows: Plaintiff was born 24 in October of 1969 and is currently 53 years of age. 25 49 years old on the alleged onset date of September 27, 2018. JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 He was Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 6 of 19 3 1 Plaintiff is married and has a son 15 years of age and a 2 daughter 19 years of age. 3 November 2019. 4 his wife and children. 5 approximately 330 pounds. 6 education and did secure a GED. 7 regular classes. 8 worked primarily in two positions, or for two companies, I 9 should say. Those ages are recorded as of Plaintiff lives in Ogdensburg, New York with Plaintiff is 6 feet tall and weighs Plaintiff has an 11th grade While in school he was in Plaintiff is right-handed. Plaintiff Between January of 2006 and January 2008, he 10 worked as a maintenance worker and a cleaner for Walmart. 11 Between January 2008 and September 2018, he worked for 12 Loomis, initially as a messenger or courier, and later, in 13 the later years as a driver. 14 September 2018. 15 why. 16 position because of downsizing. 17 in the opinion stated that it was because he was not able to 18 meet the lifting requirements. 19 reference to that in particular, and that would not make 20 sense because as a driver, he testified that he was not 21 required to lift. 22 He did say that he is not able to perform the job due to his 23 conditions, that's at 202, and it appears that he was 24 assuming that he would have to transfer to another location 25 where he would be required to lift as a messenger or courier He last worked in The evidence is somewhat equivocal as to It appears at pages 51, 334, and 366 that he lost his The administrative law judge I didn't necessarily find any That was at page 21, the ALJ's reference. JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 7 of 19 4 1 in any event. 2 that the messenger position got to be too much, and at 51, he 3 stated that just driving would have required lifting at a 4 different branch. 5 it's due to his conditions that he lost his position. 6 Plaintiff suffers -- and at page 48 he said So I guess we'll credit his statement that Plaintiff physically suffers from degenerative disk 7 disease of the lumbar region, also has cervical issues, he 8 suffers from hypertension, obesity, tinnitus, psoriasis, 9 diabetes, and left leg issues. In 1987, he underwent 10 essentially two surgeries that were a day or two apart. 11 was an L4-L5 laminectomy with multi-level rod and the second 12 was a multi-level rod fixation due to scoliosis. 13 one pain injection in his lower back but declined to take 14 more pain injections due to the cost. 15 with several sources including Dr. Aathirayen Thiagarajah one 16 time in December of 2018 for pain. 17 Dr. Brian Kerrigan since January 2013, treated with 18 Dr. Manasvi Jaitly from January 2017 until May of 2017. 19 treated briefly with SOS, Syracuse Orthopedics, in 2018, and 20 at various times with Claxton Hepburn Medical Center for pain 21 management and in their emergency department. 22 One He has had Plaintiff has treated He has treated with He Plaintiff's activities of daily living include the 23 ability to shower, dress, and groom, prepare some meals, shop 24 occasionally, he has trouble with laundry and cleaning. 25 watches television. He Among the medications that have been JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 8 of 19 5 1 prescribed for the plaintiff are gabapentin, Duloxetine, and 2 Celebrex. 3 Procedurally, plaintiff applied for Title II 4 benefits on December 26, 2018 alleging an onset date of 5 September 27, 2018. 6 disability based on lumbar spine impairment, cervical spine 7 impairment, left side numbness, balance impairment, 8 hypertension, and morbid obesity. 9 by ALJ Jude Mulvey with a vocational expert on November 12, In his function report he claimed The hearing was conducted 10 2019. 11 December 20, 2019. 12 Commissioner on August 21, 2020 when the Social Security 13 Administration Appeals Council denied plaintiff's application 14 for review. 15 and is timely. 16 ALJ Mulvey issued an unfavorable decision on That became a final determination of the This action was commenced on October 16, 2020, In her decision, ALJ Mulvey applied the familiar 17 five-step sequential test for determining disability. 18 first noted that plaintiff's last date of insured status will 19 be December 31, 2022. 20 She At step one, she noted that plaintiff had not 21 engaged in substantial gainful activity since his alleged 22 onset date. 23 At step two, she concluded that plaintiff does 24 suffer from severe impairments that impose more than minimal 25 limitations on his ability to perform basic work functions, JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 9 of 19 6 1 including diastolic dysfunction, left ventricular 2 hypertrophy, degenerative disk disease of the lumbar spine, 3 hypertension, and obesity. 4 At step three, she concludes that plaintiff's 5 conditions do not meet or medically equal any of the listed 6 presumptively disabling conditions in the Commissioner's 7 regulations, specifically including Listings 1.04 and 4.04. 8 She also referenced Social Security Ruling 19-2p and 9 indicated that she had considered the impact of plaintiff's 10 obesity on his ability to perform work functions. Surveying 11 the medical and other evidence, ALJ Mulvey next concluded 12 that notwithstanding his impairments, plaintiff retains the 13 residual functional capacity to perform light work except 14 that he can frequently reach, stoop, and squat. 15 Applying that RFC, the ALJ next determined at step 16 four, pursuant to the testimony of a vocational expert, that 17 plaintiff is unable to perform his past relevant work. 18 Proceeding to step five, ALJ Mulvey first noted 19 that if plaintiff could perform a full range of light work, 20 the Medical-Vocational Guidelines and the Commissioner's 21 regulations, or so-called Grids, would direct a finding of no 22 disability pursuant to Grid Rules 202.18 and 202.11. 23 on the testimony of the vocational expert and considering the 24 additional limitations, exertional limitations set out in the 25 RFC, that would shrink the job base upon which the Grids are JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Based Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 10 of 19 7 1 predicated. 2 in the national economy that plaintiff is capable of 3 performing, citing as representative examples marker, 4 cafeteria attendant, and sales attendant. 5 The ALJ concluded that there is available work As you know, the court's function in this case is 6 to determine whether correct legal principles were applied 7 and the resulting determination is supported by substantial 8 evidence, which is defined as such relevant evidence as a 9 reasonable mind would conclude sufficient to support a 10 conclusion. 11 The plaintiff's contentions in this matter center 12 upon the residual functional capacity finding, the argument 13 being that it's not supported and that the administrative law 14 judge improperly evaluated the medical opinions of record and 15 substituted her lay opinion for those medical opinions. 16 determination of disability requires in the first instance a 17 determination of a plaintiff's residual functional capacity 18 which represents finding of a range of tasks that the 19 plaintiff is capable of performing notwithstanding his 20 impairments. 21 The Ordinarily, an RFC represents a claimant's maximum 22 ability to perform sustained work activities in an ordinary 23 setting on a regular and continuing basis, meaning eight 24 hours a day for five days a week or an equivalent schedule. 25 An RFC determination is informed by consideration of all of JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 11 of 19 8 1 the relevant medical and other evidence. 2 404.1545(a), and Tankisi v. Commissioner of Social Security, 3 521 F.App'x 29 at 33, Second Circuit, 2013. 4 case was already recited and contains just the limitation to 5 light work and frequent reaching, stooping, and squatting. 6 20 C.F.R. Section The RFC in this There are two medical opinions in the record that 7 speak to plaintiff's physical abilities. Both were rejected 8 by the administrative law judge. 9 opinions in the record in this case is governed by the new 10 regulations that took effect for cases filed after March of 11 2017. 12 give any specific evidentiary weight, including controlling 13 weight, to any medical opinions or prior administrative 14 medical findings, including those from the claimant's medical 15 sources. 16 particularly supportability and consistency, when evaluating 17 medical opinions. 18 also may, but is not required, to explain how he or she 19 considered the other relevant factors as appropriate; those 20 factors being the source's relationship to the claimant, 21 including the length of the treatment relationship, the 22 frequency of examinations, the purpose of the treating 23 relationship, the extent of the treating relationship and 24 whether it was merely an examining relationship, the 25 specialization, if any, of the source, and other factors that The analysis of medical Under the new regulations, an ALJ does not defer or Instead, the ALJ must consider relevant factors, 20 C.F.R. Section 404.1520c(a). JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 The ALJ Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 12 of 19 9 1 2 tend to support or contradict the opinion. Speaking to the two primary factors, the 3 regulations define supportability as follows: 4 relevant the objective medical evidence and supporting 5 explanations presented by a medical source are to support his 6 or her medical opinions or prior administrative medical 7 findings, the more persuasive the medical opinions or prior 8 administrative medical findings will be. 9 The more The regulations define consistency as follows: 10 more consistent a medical opinion or prior administrative 11 medical finding is with the evidence from other medical 12 sources and nonmedical sources in the claim, the more 13 persuasive the medical opinion or prior administrative 14 The medical finding will be. 15 The first opinion that was spoken to in the ALJ's 16 decision is from Dr. Elke Lorensen. 17 February 26, 2019 and included in the record at pages 366 18 through 369 with a couple attached exhibits. 19 Dr. Lorensen's examination showed a limited lumbar range of 20 motion upon examination and Dr. Lorensen opined in her 21 medical source statement, no gross limitation sitting, 22 standing, walking, or handling small objects with the hands, 23 moderate limitations with bending, lifting, reaching, pushing 24 and pulling with the arms and squatting. 25 It was rendered on In the opinion, That's at page 369. The administrative law judge addressed JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 13 of 19 10 1 Dr. Lorensen's opinion on page 22, found it persuasive to the 2 extent that it found no limitations in sitting, standing, 3 walking, and handling, and, however, found the moderate 4 limitations to be vague and do not assess what the claimant 5 can do despite his impairments. 6 The Commissioner concedes that it was error to 7 reject it strictly on the basis of vagueness but argues that 8 it was harmless error. 9 limitation was found is deficient because it doesn't discuss 10 supportability and consistency and point to specifics in the 11 record as required by the new regulations. 12 Commissioner of Social Security, 2021 WL 706645 from the 13 Northern District of New York, 2021. 14 The other areas in which no Raymond M. v. Here, there are excerpts cited in support of the 15 finding of persuasiveness of the no-limitation portion of 16 Dr. Lorensen's opinions, and those simply don't support the 17 finding. 18 plaintiff appears uncomfortable, reports 10 out of 10 pain; 19 noting part of the hardware from the surgery has dislodged at 20 303; mild cervical tenderness, moderate lumbar back pain with 21 painful range of motion, 304. 22 normal gait but moderate limited lumbar range of motion and 23 mild tenderness, 312. 24 of motion, moderate tenderness, diminished leg sensation, 25 316. 3F at page 4, for example, that's page 301, 4F at 8, or is it 3? States 4F at 17, moderate limitation of range 5F at 4, reduced left hip range of motion, reduced JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 14 of 19 11 1 lumbar sensation, limited cervical spine range of motion with 2 tenderness, full lumbar range of motion but tenderness 3 present, 322. 4 motion, that's at 335. 5 cervical and lumbar, decreased left leg sensation, 368. 6 at 11, increasing pain medications because previous dose is 7 not helping, 372. 8 motion, full lumbar range of motion but tenderness and 9 limited cervical spine range of motion with tenderness, 376 7F at 7, antalgic gait and decreased range of 9F at 13, reduced range of motion, 10F 10F at 5, reduced left hip range of 10 to 377. 13F at 8, reduced left hip range of motion, reduced 11 left leg sensation, limited cervical spine range of motion, 12 full lumbar range of motion with tenderness, 396. 13 same as the previous, that's at 399 to 400. 14 cursory physical examination but did note limited range of 15 motion in the back, 419. 16 motion, that's at 422. 13F at 11, 14F at 2, very 4F at 5, decreased back range of 17 In sum, although the ALJ states that plaintiff has 18 normal lumbar range of motion on some exams, most of them in 19 fact show limited or decreased range of motion. 20 general normal gait and strength notations ignore all of the 21 consistent positive findings in other aspects, range of 22 motion, sensation loss, hip range of motion issues. 23 discusses these in the overall summary but does not explain 24 how these findings are inconsistent with the opinions of 25 Dr. Lorensen and the state agency opinion. JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 And the The ALJ So I do not find Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 15 of 19 12 1 that the finding of persuasiveness of Dr. Lorensen's opinion 2 regarding no limitations is adequately explained and 3 supported by substantial evidence. 4 The question is whether this error is harmless. 5 The residual functional capacity specifies frequent reaching. 6 According to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the three 7 jobs identified do specify frequent reaching. 8 equivocal as to whether, if the hypothetical on which the 9 vocational expert based his opinion is changed to occasional 10 reaching, the three jobs would still be available, at page 78 11 of the administrative transcript. 12 vocational expert is saying yes, but it's not sure. 13 The record is It looks like the In any event, ordinarily, I would say that the 14 error was harmless because a moderate limitation in reaching 15 is not inconsistent with light work. 16 Commissioner of Social Security, 2021 WL 2587249, from the 17 Western District of New York, it is dated June 24, 2021, and 18 Carl D. v. Commissioner of Social Security, 2019 WL 1115704 19 from the Northern District of New York, March 11th, 2019. 20 Monserrate B. v. And I have to say that the second opinion that was 21 addressed by the administrative law judge comes from Dr. R. 22 Reynolds and it was affirmed, so to speak, by Dr. S. 23 Siddiqui. 24 2019, appears at 83 to 93 of the administrative transcript. 25 Dr. Siddiqui on April 30, 2019 at page 100 of the Dr. Reynolds' opinion is rendered on March 27, JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 16 of 19 13 1 administrative transcript states, "I have reviewed all the 2 physical evidence in file and the physical assessment of 3 March 27, 2019 per Dr. R. Reynolds is affirmed as written." 4 In that RFC finding, Dr. Reynolds concludes that plaintiff is 5 only capable of lifting 10 pounds occasionally and frequently 6 less than 10 pounds, can sit for two hours, walk -- I'm 7 sorry, walk and stand for two hours and sit about six hours 8 in an eight-hour workday, only occasional stooping and only 9 occasional crouching. That's an RFC -- it's an opinion that 10 is consistent more with sedentary work and not with light 11 work. 12 The question again is, is that supported by 13 substantial evidence, the finding that those two opinions are 14 not persuasive. 15 it persuasive. 16 reference normal gait and normal strength in bilateral lower 17 and upper extremities, several examinations have noted lumbar 18 spine range of motion normal, normal spine range of motion 19 and then cited the same excerpts that I already referenced, 20 also confusingly states, "Finally, the claimant has received 21 no ongoing treatment for his cardiac impairment and there's 22 no indication of complications such as end organ disease from 23 his hypertension." 24 inconsistent with the record for the reasons I've already 25 stated. And for much the same reason, I don't find All the administrative law judge did was As I indicated before, that is JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 17 of 19 14 1 Again, the question is, is that harmless error? 2 The opinions of Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Siddiqui are consistent 3 with sedentary work. 4 there are jobs available in the national economy and cited 5 three that could be performed with a sedentary RFC at 76 to 6 78, and even with occasional reaching. 7 if you were to change the hypothetical to occasional stooping 8 rather than frequent, there would be no impact on the jobs 9 identified. The vocational expert did say that That's at page 75. The VE also testified However, as plaintiff's 10 counsel pointed out, the errors are not necessarily harmless 11 in that under the Medical-Vocational Guidelines, once the 12 plaintiff turned 50, he would, pursuant to the Grids, if he 13 were capable of performing only sedentary work, would be 14 deemed disabled and so he could potentially be entitled to at 15 least a partially favorable determination. 16 So for that reason, I do not find harmless error. 17 I do find error, and I am going to order that the 18 Commissioner's determination be vacated and the matter be 19 remanded for further consideration. 20 on the pleadings to the plaintiff and make those 21 determinations. 22 So I will grant judgment Thank you both for excellent presentations 23 yesterday, and whatever holiday you may be celebrating this 24 weekend, I wish you a happy holiday. 25 MR. FAIR: Thank you. Thank you, your Honor. JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 18 of 19 15 1 2 MR. TARABELLI: Thank you, your Honor. (Proceedings Adjourned, 12:26 p.m.) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547 Case 8:20-cv-01280-DEP Document 16 Filed 05/09/22 Page 19 of 19 1 CERTIFICATE OF OFFICIAL REPORTER 2 3 4 I, JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR, Federal 5 Official Realtime Court Reporter, in and for the 6 United States District Court for the Northern 7 District of New York, DO HEREBY CERTIFY that 8 pursuant to Section 753, Title 28, United States 9 Code, that the foregoing is a true and correct 10 transcript of the stenographically reported 11 proceedings held in the above-entitled matter and 12 that the transcript page format is in conformance 13 with the regulations of the Judicial Conference of 14 the United States. 15 16 Dated this 15th day of April, 2022. 17 18 19 /S/ JODI L. HIBBARD 20 JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR Official U.S. Court Reporter 21 22 23 24 25 JODI L. HIBBARD, RPR, CRR, CSR (315) 234-8547

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