Compton v. Colvin

36 F. Supp. 3d 1263, 2014 WL 3810116, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104562
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedJuly 31, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 5:13-CV-00537-KOB
StatusPublished

This text of 36 F. Supp. 3d 1263 (Compton v. Colvin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Compton v. Colvin, 36 F. Supp. 3d 1263, 2014 WL 3810116, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104562 (N.D. Ala. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KARON OWEN BOWDRE, Chief Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

On December 14, 2009, the claimant protectively filed a Title II application for a period of disability and disability insurance benefits and a Title XVI application for supplemental security income. In both applications, she alleged onset of her disability beginning March 29, 2007. The Commissioner initially denied both claims on April 14, 2010. The claimant then filed a written request for hearing before an Administrative Law Judge on May 21, 2010, and the ALJ held a hearing by video-conference on November 1, 2011.

In a decision dated January 19, 2012, the ALJ found that the claimant was not disabled as defined by the Social Security Act and, thus, was ineligible for disability benefits. (R. 11). The Appeals Council then denied the claimant’s request for review, and the ALJ’s decision became the final [1265]*1265decision of the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. (R. 1). The claimant exhausted her administrative remedies, and this court has jurisdiction pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g) and 1383(c)(3). Substantial evidence does not support the ALJ’s findings regarding the claimant’s mental impairment, and this court will reverse and remand the decision of the Commissioner.

II.ISSUES PRESENTED

Because the claimant is not represented by counsel, the court did not require her to submit a brief. Because she filed no brief, this court construes her issue to be whether the ALJ’s finding that the claimant did not meet Medical Listing § 12.05C regarding her mental impairments lacks substantial evidence.

III.STANDARD OF REVIEW

The standard for reviewing the Commissioner’s decision is limited. This court must affirm the Commissioner’s decision if the Commissioner applied the correct legal standards and if his factual conclusions are supported by substantial evidence. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(g); Graham v. Apfel, 129 F.3d 1420, 1422 (11th Cir.1997); Walker v. Bowen, 826 F.2d 996, 999 (11th Cir.1987).

“No ... presumption of validity attaches to the [Commissioner’s] legal conclusions, including determination of the proper standards to be applied in evaluating claims.” Walker, 826 F.2d at 999. This court does not review the Commissioner’s factual determinations de novo, but will affirm those factual determinations that are supported by substantial evidence. “Substantial evidence” is “more than a mere scintilla. It means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate' to support a conclusion.” Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 402, 91 S.Ct. 1420, 28 L.Ed.2d 842 (1971).

The court must keep in mind that opinions such as whether a claimant is disabled, the nature and extent of a claimant’s residual functional capacity, and the application of vocational factors “are not medical opinions, ... but are, instead, opinions on issues reserved to the Commissioner because they are administrative findings that are dispositive of a case; i.e., that would direct the determination or decision of disability.” 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1527(d), 416.927(d). Whether the Plaintiff meets the listing and is qualified for Social Security disability benefits is a question reserved for the ALJ, and the court “may not decide facts anew, reweigh the evidence, or substitute [its] judgment for that of the Commissioner.” Dyer v. Barnhart, 395 F.3d 1206, 1210 (11th Cir.2005). Thus, even if the court were to disagree with the ALJ about the significance of certain facts, the court has no power to reverse that finding as long as substantial evidence exists in the record to support it.

The court must “scrutinize the record in its entirety to determine the reasonableness of the [Commissioner]^ factual findings.” Walker, 826 F.2d at 999. A reviewing court must not only look to those parts of the record that support the decision of the ALJ, but the court must also view the record in its entirety and take account of evidence that detracts from the evidence relied on by the ALJ. Hillsman v. Bowen, 804 F.2d 1179, 1180 (11th Cir.1986).

IV.LEGAL STANDARD

Under 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(1)(A), a person is entitled , to disability benefits when the person cannot “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 [1266]*1266expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.” To make this determination, the Commissioner employs a five-step, sequential evaluation process:

(1) Is the person presently unemployed?
(2) Is the person’s impairment severe?
(8) Does the person’s impairment meet or equal one of the specific impairments set forth in 20 C.F.R. pt. 404, subpt. P, app. 1?
(4) Is the person unable to perform his or her former occupation?
(5) Is the person unable to perform any other work within the economy?
An affirmative answer to any of the above questions leads either to the next question, or, on steps three and five, to a finding of disability. A negative answer to any question, other than step three, leads to a determination of “not disabled.”

McDaniel v. Bowen, 800 F.2d 1026, 1030 (11th Cir.1986); see also 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520, 416.920.

As to mental impairments, the ALJ must base his evaluation on the “special technique” dictated by the Psychiatric Review Technique Form (PRTF). Moore v. Barnhart, 405 F.3d 1208, 1213 (11th Cir.2005); 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520a-(a). The “special technique” requires an evaluation of the impact of the claimant’s mental impairment on (1) activities of daily living (ADLs); (2) social functioning; (3) concentration, persistence, or pace; and (4) episodes of decompensation. Moore, 405 F.3d at 1213.

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36 F. Supp. 3d 1263, 2014 WL 3810116, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 104562, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/compton-v-colvin-alnd-2014.