Gary Phillips v. Carolyn W. Colvin

721 F.3d 623, 2013 WL 3822089, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 15113
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJuly 25, 2013
Docket12-3265
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 721 F.3d 623 (Gary Phillips v. Carolyn W. Colvin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gary Phillips v. Carolyn W. Colvin, 721 F.3d 623, 2013 WL 3822089, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 15113 (8th Cir. 2013).

Opinion

SMITH, Circuit Judge.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) redetermined Gary Phillips’s eligibility for supplemental security income (SSI) benefits and concluded that he was no longer eligible to receive them. The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) concluded that Phillips’s disability ended on February 1, 2008. Phillips exhausted his administrative remedies and then sought review in the district court, 1 which affirmed the ALJ. Phillips now appeals, arguing that the district court erred in finding substantial evidence to support the ALJ’s decision that his condition does not meet or medically equal Listing 12.05 C for mental retardation. We affirm.

I. Background

In 1995, at the age of five, a psychometric evaluation determined that Phillips’s “overall level of intellectual functioning is in the mild range of retardation,” with a verbal IQ of 55, a performance IQ of 63, and a full-scale IQ of 56. The SSA approved Phillips for SSI benefits. Over the next 11 years, Phillips’s evaluations consistently indicated IQ scores in the 50s and 60s. In November 2006, the licensed psychological examiner for Phillips’s high school, Joan Jeffrey, evaluated Phillips and determined that he had a verbal IQ of 66, a performance IQ of 69, and a full-scale IQ of 64.

Phillips turned 18 in August 2007, thus triggering SSA redetermination of his disability claim. See 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(H)(iii). In January 2008, a consultative psychologist, Dr. Don Birmingham, evaluated Phillips on behalf of the SSA, concluding that Phillips’s verbal IQ was 74, his performance IQ was 74, and his full-scale IQ was 72. Dr. Birmingham noted that Phillips appeared to be capable of semi-independent living and was capable of understanding, carrying out, and remembering instructions and responding appropriately to supervisors, co-workers, and work pressure in a simple work setting. Subsequently, the Commissioner determined that Phillips’s disability had ended on February 1, 2008.

Phillips requested a hearing before an ALJ. The ALJ conducted the hearing and directed that Phillips receive further psychological testing. Another psychologist, Dr. Kenneth Hobby, evaluated Phillips twice, in June and October 2010. Dr. Hobby administered IQ testing, which concluded that Phillips’s verbal IQ was 71, his performance IQ was 81, and his full-scale IQ was 74. Dr. Hobby diagnosed Phillips with ADHD, a learning disorder, and borderline intellectual functioning. He concluded that Phillips appeared to have the intellectual ability to learn simple repetitive and semi-skilled, work-like tasks and that Phillips responded well to supervision and instructions. Consequently, he stated that Phillips would require close supervision until he adequately learned a task, but thereafter, he could function well with minimal supervision.

Based on Dr. Hobby’s evaluations, the ALJ found that Phillips failed to satisfy the criteria for disability. Specifically, the ALJ found that Phillips did not have an *625 impairment or combination of impairments that meets or medically equals one of the listed impairments in 20 C.F.R. § 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1. The ALJ found that Phillips had the ability to perform a full range of work, with the only limitation being that he was functionally illiterate and could perform only simple jobs. The ALJ further found that there are jobs in the national economy that Phillips could perform. The ALJ concluded that Phillips’s disability ended on February 1, 2008, and that he had not become disabled again since that date. Consequently, the ALJ determined that Phillips was not eligible for SSI benefits. The Appeals Council subsequently denied Phillips’s request for review.

Phillips filed an action in the district court, seeking review of the ALJ’s denial of SSI benefits. Phillips v. Astrue, No. 4:11-CV-633-JTK, 2012 WL 3903473 (E.D.Ark. Sept. 7, 2012). The court affirmed, finding that substantial evidence on the record as a whole supports the ALJ’s decision. Id. at *2.

II. Discussion

On appeal, Phillips argues that the district court erred in finding substantial evidence on the record as a whole to support the ALJ’s decision that his condition does not meet or medically equal Listing 12.05 C for mental retardation.

In this social security case, where the Appeals Council denied further review, the ALJ’s decision is deemed the final decision of the Commissioner. Davidson v. Astrue, 501 F.3d 987, 989 (8th Cir.2007). We review de novo the magistrate judge’s decision upholding the Commissioner’s denial of disability benefits. Jones v. Astrue, 619 F.3d 963, 968 (8th Cir.2010). We will affirm the Commissioner’s decision if supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. Id. Substantial evidence is “less than a preponderance but ... enough that a reasonable mind would find it adequate to support the conclusion.” Id. (alteration in original) (quotation omitted). In evaluating for substantial evidence, we “consider the evidence that supports the Commissioner’s decision as well as the evidence that detracts from it.” Id. (quotation omitted). If, after reviewing the entire record, it is possible to draw two inconsistent positions, and the Commissioner has adopted one of those positions, we must affirm. Id.

Anderson v. Astrue, 696 F.3d 790, 793 (8th Cir.2012) (alteration in original).

A. Listing 12.05 C

The Commissioner has established a five-step “ ‘sequential evaluation process’ ” for determining whether an individual is disabled. Cuthrell v. Astrue, 702 F.3d 1114, 1116 (8th Cir.2013) (citing 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(a) and 416.920(a)). As relevant here, an individual may be considered for mental retardation under Listing 12.05 C at step three of the evaluation process.

This court has interpreted Listing 12.05 C to require a claimant to show each of the following three elements: “(1) a valid verbal, performance, or full scale IQ score of 60 through 70, (2) an onset of the impairment before age 22, and (3) a physical or other mental impairment imposing an additional and significant work-related limitation of function.” Maresh v. Barnhart, 438 F.3d 897, 899 (8th Cir.2006).

McNamara v. Astrue, 590 F.3d 607, 610-11 (8th Cir.2010); see also 20 C.F.R.

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Bluebook (online)
721 F.3d 623, 2013 WL 3822089, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 15113, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gary-phillips-v-carolyn-w-colvin-ca8-2013.