Crandlemere v. SSA

2013 DNH 007

• Court: District Court, D. New Hampshire
• Decided: January 15, 2013
• Docket: 11-CV-529-SM
• Status: Published

Opinion

Crandlemere v. SSA 11-CV-529-SM 01/15/13 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Steven R. Crandlemere. Claimant

v. Case No. ll-cv-529-SM Opinion No. 2013 DNH 007

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner, Social Security Administration Defendant

O R D E R

Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), claimant, Steven

Crandlemere, moves to reverse the Commissioner's decision denying

his application for Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits

under Title II of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 423 (the

"Act"). The Commissioner objects and moves for an order

affirming his decision.

For the reasons discussed below, claimant's motion is

granted, to the extent claimant seeks remand for further

proceedings. The Commissioner's motion is denied. Factual Background

I. Procedural History.

In July of 2009, claimant filed an application for

Disability Insurance Benefits, alleging that he had been unable

to work since June 3, 2009, due to disabling pain caused by

degenerative disc disease. That application was denied and

claimant requested a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge

("ALJ").

In April of 2011, claimant, his attorney, and a vocational

expert appeared before ALJ Thomas Merrill, who considered

claimant's application de novo. Approximately six weeks later,

the ALJ issued his written decision, concluding that claimant

retained the residual functional capacity to perform the physical

and mental demands of a range of light work. And, given that

finding, the ALJ concluded that claimant was capable of

performing past relevant work as an order picker and a fast food

worker. The ALJ also concluded that there were other jobs in

that national economy that claimant could perform. Accordingly,

he determined that claimant was not disabled, as that term is

defined in the Act, at any time prior to June 3, 2011 (the date

of the ALJ's decision).

2 Claimant then sought review of the ALJ's decision by the

Decision Review Board. That request was denied. Accordingly,

the ALJ's denial of claimant's application 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 and seeking a judicial determination that he

is disabled within the meaning of the Act. Claimant then filed a

"Motion to Reverse" the decision of the Commissioner (document

no. 9). In response, the Commissioner filed a "Motion for an

Order Affirming the Decision of the Commissioner" (document no.

11). Those motions are pending.

II. Stipulated Facts.

Pursuant to this court's Local Rule 9.1(d), the parties have

submitted a statement of stipulated facts which, because it is

part of the court's record (document no. 14), need not be

recounted in this opinion. Those facts relevant to the

disposition of this matter are discussed as appropriate.

3 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. See 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g),

1383(c)(3). 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." Consolidated Edison

Co. v . NLRB. 305 U.S. 197, 229 (1938). 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. Console v. Federal Maritime Comm'n., 383

U.S. 607, 620 (1966). See also Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S.

389, 401 (1971). Consequently, provided the ALJ's findings are

properly supported, the court must sustain those findings even

when there may also be substantial evidence supporting the

contrary position. See, e.g., Tsarelka v. Secretary of Health &

4 Human Services, 842 F.2d 529, 535 (1st Cir. 1988); Rodriquez v.

Secretary of Health & Human Services, 647 F.2d 218, 222 (1st Cir.

1981) .

II. The Parties' Respective Burdens.

An individual seeking Social Security disability benefits is

disabled under the Act if he or 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." 42 U.S.C.

§ 423(d)(1)(A). The Act places theinitial 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 his impairment prevents him

from performing his 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). If the claimant demonstrates

an inability to perform his previous work, the burden shifts to

the Commissioner to show that there are other jobs in the

national economy that he can perform. See Vazquez v. Secretary

5 of Health & Human Services, 683 F.2d 1, 2 (1st Cir. 1982). See

also 20 C.F.R. § 404.1512(g).

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 his:

physical or mental impairment or impairments are of such severity that he is not only unable to do his previous work but cannot, considering his 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 he lives, or whether a specific job vacancy exists for him, or whether he would be hired if he applied for work.

42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(2)(A).

With those principles in mind, the court reviews claimant's

motion to reverse and the Commissioner's motion to affirm his

decision.

6 Discussion

I. Background - The ALJ's Findings.

In concluding that claimant was not disabled within the

meaning of the Act, the ALJ properly employed the mandatory five-

step sequential evaluation process described in 20 C.F.R.

§ 404.1520. Accordingly, he first determined that claimant met

the insured status requirements of the Act through September 30,

2011 (his "date last insured") and had not been engaged in

substantial gainful employment since his alleged onset of

disability: June 3, 2009. Administrative Record ("Admin. Rec.")

at 17. Next, he concluded that claimant suffers from the

following severe impairment: "degenerative disc disease of the

lumbar spine." .Id. Nevertheless, the ALJ determined that

claimant's impairment did not meet or medically equal one of the

impairments listed in Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1. Admin.

Rec. at 18.

Next, the ALJ concluded that claimant retained the residual

functional capacity ("RFC") to perform the exertional demands of

"light work as defined in 20 C.F.R. 404.1567)b), except he can

perform all postural activities only occasionally." Admin. Rec.

7 at 18.1 In light of those findings, at step four of the

sequential analysis, the ALJ determined that claimant was

"capable of performing past relevant work as an order picker and

fast food worker." .Id. at 20. The ALJ went on, however, to step

five and concluded that even if claimant could not perform his

past relevant work, "there are other jobs that exist in

significant numbers on the national economy that the claimant

also can perform." Jd. at 21. And, "even if the claimant was

able to lift only up to 10 pounds occasionally, as opined by Dr.

Levy, he would be able to perform the duties of the jobs of

charge account clerk and various assembler positions." .Id. at

22 .

2 "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).

8 In light of the foregoing, the ALJ concluded that claimant

was not "disabled," as that term is defined in the Act, through

the date of his decision (June 3, 2011).

II. The ALJ Erred at Step Three.

At step three of the sequential analysis, the ALJ must

determine whether the claimant's impairment "meets or equals one

of [the] listings" in Subpart P, Appendix 1 of the regulations.

20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(a)(4)(iii). Claimant asserts that his

impairment meets the requirements of the listing at section 1.04,

which provides, in relevant part:

Disorders of the spine (e.g., herniated nucleus pulposus, spinal arachnoiditis, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, facet arthritis, vertebral fracture), resulting in compromise of a nerve root (including the cauda equina) or the spinal cord. With:

A . Evidence of nerve root compression characterized by neuro-anatomic distribution of pain, limitation of motion of the spine, motor loss (atrophy with associated muscle weakness or muscle weakness) accompanied by sensory or reflex loss and, if there is involvement of the lower back, positive straight-leg raising test (sitting and supine).

20 C.F.R. Pt. 404, Subpt. P, App. 1, § 1.04A (emphasis supplied).

9 In reaching the conclusion that claimant's impairment did

not meet or medically equal a listed impairment, the ALJ simply

stated the following:

The undersigned considered listings 1.04. The claimant's back pain does not meet the listing because there is no medical evidence of nerve root compression, spinal arachnoiditis, or lumbar spinal stenosis resulting in pseudoclaudication.

Admin. Rec. at 18 (emphasis supplied). But, as claimant points

out, magnetic resonance imaging of his spine revealed that there

was nerve root compression. See, e.g.. Admin. Rec. at 288 (pre­

operative MRI in 2002 showed "disk herniation at L4-5 and L5-S1

on the left side with impingement of the L5 and SI nerve roots);

541 ("Impression: Large left-sided disk protrusion at L4-L5,

displacing the left LI nerve root. Small-to-moderate sized left­

sided disk protrusion at L5-S1, displacing the SI nerve root.");

408 (pre-operative MRI in June of 2009 revealed "left paracentral

disk protrusion with associated annular tear. This posteriorly

displaces the proximal left SI nerve root and could produce

radiculopathy.").

Of course, the most relevant scan results are those obtained

after claimant's spinal surgery. But, even following surgery in

November of 2009, claimant had "enhancing scar tissue in the

10 laminotomy site and around the left SI nerve root," with a "mild

broad-based disk bulge at [the L5-S1] level." Admin. Rec. at 409

(interpreting an MRI performed in March of 2010). An MRI

performed approximately four months later, in July of 2010,

revealed "postoperative changes on the left at L5-S1," with

"enhancing epidural fibrosis at the surgical site involving the

lateral recess and neural foramen." .Id. at 401-11. And, while

the ALJ noted that straight leg tests performed on claimant in

June of 2010 were negative, more recent tests showed positive

results. See, e.g.. Id. at 445 (August of 2010) and 455 (October

of 2010) .

It is, of course, for the ALJ to determine (at least in the

first instance) whether those clinical findings support

claimant's assertion that he meets (or medically equals) the

listing at section 1.04A - in particular the requirements that he

suffer from nerve root compression and exhibit positive straight

leg raises. But, given the ALJ's brief discussion of the issue,

and his failure to reference any of claimant's post-surgical MRI

results or his most recent positive straight leg raises, the

court cannot determine if the ALJ even considered such evidence.

11 III. The ALJ Erred in Determining Claimant's RFC.

As noted above, the ALJ concluded that claimant has the

residual functional capacity to perform light work, with some

postural limitations. Admin. Rec. at 18. That conclusion is not

supported by substantial evidence in the record.

First, the ALJ afforded "great weight" to the opinion of the

non-examining state agency physician, Dr. Burton Nault. Admin.

Rec. at 20. But, it appears the ALJ mis-characterized or

misinterpreted both the timing and substance of Dr. Nault's

opinion. According to the ALJ:

Dr. Burton Nault, M.D., opined that the claimant was able to perform the full range of light exertion work, except he could perform postural activities only occasionally (Exhibit 6F).

Id. That is incorrect. Dr. Nault reviewed claimant's medical

records on January 26, 2010 (not November of 2010, as the ALJ

stated), approximately six months after claimant sustained his

back injury and approximately one month after he underwent an L5-

S1 laminectomy and discectomy. At that time, Dr. Nault opined

that claimant was "totally disabled." .Id. at 334. He went on to

speculate that "it is reasonable to assume that within 12 months

of his [alleged onset of disability - i.e., by June of 2010] he

12 should return to a functional capacity [for light w o r k ] Id.

That was, however, merely a prediction - a prediction that

appears to have been incorrect.2

In the ensuing months, claimant was seen by Dr. Clifford

Levy at Concord Orthopaedics, who repeatedly opined that claimant

was unable to perform the physical requirements of any gainful

activity and refused to clear claimant to return to work. See,

e.g.. Admin. Rec. at 426, 428, 430, 433. By July of 2010, Dr.

Levy concluded that claimant had recovered to the point that he

was capable of lifting a maximum of 10 pounds occasionally and

five pounds frequently, and could work a maximum of four to eight

hours a day, three to five days a week. .Id. at 435. At best,

then, Dr. Levy believed claimant was capable of performing the

exertional requirements of sedentary work, on a less-than full­

time basis. Dr. Levy repeated that opinion several times in the

months that followed. See Id. at 438, 441. But, he never

concluded that claimant was capable of a return to full time

2 Because the ALJ mistakenly believed that Dr. Nault issued his opinion in November of 2010, he appears to have misunderstood the import of that opinion. Rather than seeing it for what it was - a prediction of claimant's future abilities in June of 2010, provided he recovered fully from his recent back surgery - the ALJ appears to have seen it as an opinion of claimant's then- current abilities.

13 work, nor did he ever opine that claimant was capable of

performing the exertional requirements of light work (even on a

part-time basis).

Dr. Levy's most recent opinions were shared by Dr. Tung, a

pain management specialist, who, beginning in August of 2010,

repeatedly opined that claimant was capable of "sedentary work

only; change position frequently." Admin. Rec. at 451. See also

Id. at 460, 471, 486.

The court need not belabor the issue. The salient point is

this: neither the opinions of claimant's treating medical

professionals, nor the administrative record as a whole, supports

the ALJ's conclusion that claimant is capable of performing the

exertional demands of light work. And, as noted above, the ALJ's

heavy reliance on the opinion of Dr. Nault was misplaced.

Finally, the ALJ's reliance on claimant's activities of daily

living to support the conclusion that he could perform light work

was also misplaced insofar as the ALJ overstated claimant's

reported activities and abilities. Compare Admin. Rec. at 19-20,

with id. at 176-84.

14 Parenthetically, the court notes that the ALJ's ancillary

conclusion, at step five of the sequential analysis, that

claimant is capable of performing two sedentary-level jobs is

insufficiently developed or discussed for the court to conduct a

meaningful review. Even if the court could review that decision,

it would not be appropriate since the question of whether

claimant meets the listing level impairment in section 1.04A

remains unresolved.

Conclusion

For the foregoing reasons, claimant's motion to reverse the

decision of the Commissioner (document no. 9.) is granted to the

extent he seeks a remand for further proceedings. The

Commissioner's motion to affirm his decision (document no. 1.1) is

denied.

Pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), the ALJ's

decision dated June 3, 2011, is vacated and this matter is hereby

remanded for further proceedings consistent with this order. The

Clerk of Court shall enter judgment in accordance with this order

and close the case.

15 SO ORDERED.

Steven J ./McAulif fe lited States District Judge

January 15, 2013

cc: Janine Gawryl, Esq. Robert J. Rabuck, AUSA