Boyer v. Califano

456 F. Supp. 809, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16171
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedAugust 4, 1978
DocketNo. 78-152C(A)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 456 F. Supp. 809 (Boyer v. Califano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boyer v. Califano, 456 F. Supp. 809, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16171 (E.D. Mo. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM-OPINION

HARPER, District Judge.

Margaret Boyer has petitioned this District Court for judicial review of the final [810]*810decision of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, pursuant to the provisions of Title II of the Social Security Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 401, et seq.

Plaintiff filed her application to establish a period of disability on March 22, 1973. The application was denied, and is not now subject to review. On January 26, 1976, plaintiff filed her second application to establish a period of disability and to obtain insurance benefits. The application was considered and reconsidered by the Social Security Administration and the claim was ultimately denied.

Plaintiff requested a hearing which was held on February 3, 1977, at which she appeared and testified. She was represented by counsel. The Administrative Law Judge ruled against the plaintiff on June 17, 1977, finding that plaintiff was not under a “disability”, as defined in the Social Security Act, at any time when she met the earnings requirements of the law. On December 5, 1977, the Appeals Council affirmed the Administrative Law Judge’s decision, except to hold that plaintiff’s insured status lasted only until June 30, 1976.

Thus, the decision of the Administrative Law Judge, as amended, stands as the final decision of the Secretary. Plaintiff has filed a timely application for judicial review and the Secretary has filed a transcript of the record of the proceeding, along with his answer to the complaint. Both parties have filed motions for summary judgment, with accompanying memoranda.

It is undisputed that plaintiff met the special earnings requirement of the Act, so as to be in an insured status only through June 30, 1976. The Appeals Council considered evidence of a psychiatric examination conducted after the June 30,1976 deadline. Even so, this Court will consider only those medical reports and evidence dated prior to June 30, 1976.

Plaintiff was born on December 8, 1935. She claims that she became disabled on May 15, 1972. Her chief complaints relate to intestinal adhesions, and constant pain in the lower back which radiates to the left side, to the stomach and right leg. She has worked intermittently from 1948 through February, 1974. Her occupations consisted primarily of factory work in shoe factories, but also included work as a waitress and cashier.

The evidence reveals that claimant has had myriad stays in hospitals, and has been having physical problems since 1960. She was discharged from Deaconess Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri on June 18, 1972 for intestinal obstruction due to adhesions, and Michel’s diverticulum (Tr. 118). She was again in Deaconess Hospital from March 27, 1972 to April 1,1972 for bowel obstruction. No action was taken at that time (Tr. 120-121).

Plaintiff was admitted to the University of Missouri Medical Clinic (hereinafter U.M. M.C.), at Columbia, Missouri on September 28, 1972 and discharged on October 4, 1972 for complaints of pain. The report states that the pain may be psychogenic, and that she had a possible hysterical personality (Tr. 123).

At Deaconess Hospital, from December 4, 1972, to December 10, 1972, plaintiff was diagnosed as having a bowel obstruction and anemia. The report notes that plaintiff has a low pain threshold (Tr. 126).

On June 6, 1973, in a medically unsupported document, Dr. Clinton C. Hayes, Jr. stated that plaintiff was unable to seek active employment (Tr. 127).

Dr. L. N. Newmark, on July 27, 1973, stated that due to her adhesions, bowel obstructions, Demoral abuse, and hysterical personality, she was permanently and totally disabled (Tr. 128-130).

On April 22, 1976, Dr. Hayes found that an ileosacral lesion was causing the pain. He felt that the pain was real, but not totally disabling. He suggested additional investigation, in order to determine her true physical capabilities (Tr. 132-133).

From January 17, 1971 to February 10, 1971, plaintiff was in the hospital for an adhesialysis and appendectomy, both performed by James Griggs, M.D. (Tr. 143).

[811]*811In September, 1964, plaintiff was at U.M. M.C. The diagnosis was cervical lacerations, chronic cystic cervicitis, and squamous metaplasia. She was treated by a vaginal hysterectomy (Tr. 145-146).

In March of 1962, plaintiff was treated at U.M.M.C. for a cervical laceration caused by giving birth (Tr. 147-148). On August'4, 1960, plaintiff had a trachelorrhaphy performed at U.M.M.C. for hemorrhaging (Tr. 149-150). On July 27, of that same year, plaintiff had been admitted to U.M.M.C. for a Dilitation and Curettage and a trachelorrhaphy.

All of the following reports originated after June 30, 1976, and cannot be considered in the evaluation of plaintiff’s disability. On December 8, 1976, in a letter unsupported by clinical findings, Emiliano C. Umali, M.D., stated that plaintiff was unable to work because of constant back pain (Tr. 158). On December 21,1976, Reno R. Cova, Jr., M.D., examined plaintiff, and concluded that there were signs of radiculopathy, and perhaps a ruptured lumbar disc. He concluded that she was disabled (Tr. 159). In a report done for Dr. Cova’s consideration, D. J. Schreiber, M.D., concluded, after an EMG and nerve conduction velocity study, that these tests were normal. He found some evidence of functional overlay, but doubted that the pain had organic etiology (Tr. 183). A report from Christian Hospital Northwest, St. Louis, Missouri, showed that on February 18, 1977, plaintiff had a ruptured lumbar spine. She was treated with transcutaneous nerve stimulation, but left before the pain was eliminated (Tr. 190-191). On March 22,1977, Dr. Cova concluded that plaintiff was totally disabled (Tr. 204). Dr. Umali, on March 25, 1977, concluded that plaintiff was totally disabled (Tr. 205). On May 18, 1977, J. E. Frye, D. O., concluded that plaintiff’s problem was not orthopedic, but one relating to functional abnormality and adhesions (Tr. 206-207). A psychiatric examination of plaintiff, on October 31, 1977 reported by R. Raymond Knowles, M.D., stated that plaintiff has a severe psychopathology. The prognosis was guarded and “her reaction of invalidism has reached a phase of chronicity, so that it has lasted for a period in excess of twelve months.” (Tr. 213-215.)

After hearing the evidence, the Administrative Law Judge concluded by finding:

(1) The claimant met the special earnings requirements for disability purposes on February 15, 1974, the date she stated she became unable to work and she continued to meet them until March 31, 1977, but not thereafter.
(2) The claimant is 41 years old, has eight years of schooling and has worked as a waitress, dishwasher and a salad maker and in a shoe factory rounding edges of soles, sanding platforms and heels, gluing vamps and as a sole trimmer and inspector and she also worked in quality control for a panel manufacturer and as a supervisor of a coloring table for a leather company.
(3) The evidence shows the claimant experiences some pain and discomfort in the abdomen and back which would preclude her from doing heavy manual labor or work which requires frequent bending, lifting and stooping or standing for long periods of time but she is able to otherwise function in a normal manner both mentally and physically.

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456 F. Supp. 809, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boyer-v-califano-moed-1978.