Hammons v. SSA

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Kentucky
DecidedJuly 31, 2023
Docket6:22-cv-00168
StatusUnknown

This text of Hammons v. SSA (Hammons v. SSA) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hammons v. SSA, (E.D. Ky. 2023).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY SOUTHERN DIVISION (at London)

LAURA H., ) ) Plaintiff, ) Civil Action No. 6:22-CV-168-CHB ) v. ) ) KILOLO KIJAKAZI, Commissioner of ) MEMORANDUM OPINION Social Security, ) AND ORDER ) Defendant. )

*** *** *** *** The Commissioner of Social Security denied Plaintiff Laura H.’s (“Plaintiff’s”) application for Disability Insurance benefits. Plaintiff seeks judicial review of the Commissioner’s decision pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). [R. 1]. Both Plaintiff [R. 13] and the Commissioner [R. 14] have filed their respective briefs. For the reasons that follow, the Court finds that the Commissioner’s decision is supported by substantial evidence in the record and complies with the applicable regulations. The Court will therefore affirm the Commissioner’s decision. I. Background Plaintiff is 59 years old and has a high school education. See [Transcript of Administrative Record (hereinafter, “Administrative Transcript” or “Tr.”) (attached to Commissioner’s Answer as Exhibits 1–9), at 532, 537]. She is presently unemployed but has past relevant work experience as a secretary at a law office from April 2002 to June 2011 and as a Sherriff’s Office clerk from September 2013 to July 2016. [Tr. 537]. Plaintiff protectively filed an application for Disability Insurance benefits (“DIB”) under Titles II and XVIII of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3) (the “Act”), on July 8, 2016. [Tr. 320–21, 497–500]. Plaintiff alleges disability beginning on January 1, 20171 due to depression, concentration and memory difficulties, heart palpitations, dizziness, thyroid cancer, and low back problems. [Tr. 532, 536]. Plaintiff’s application was denied at the agency level and, following a hearing, Administrative Law Judge Joyce Francis (“ALJ Francis”) found Plaintiff not disabled on

November 30, 2018. [Tr. 307–51]. Plaintiff requested review, and the Appeals Council vacated the decision and remanded Plaintiff’s case for further proceedings. [Tr. 352–57]. ALJ Francis held a second hearing and again issued an unfavorable decision on January 25, 2022. [Tr. 27–96]. ALJ Francis applied the traditional five-step sequential analysis promulgated by the Commissioner for evaluating a disability claim, 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520, Kyle v. Comm’r of Soc. Sec., 609 F.3d 847, 855 (6th Cir. 2010), and found as follows. First, ALJ Francis found Plaintiff had not engaged in substantial gainful activity during the period between her alleged onset date of January 1, 2017 and the date she was last insured under Title II, December 31, 2020. [Tr. 33]. Next, ALJ Francis found that Plaintiff had the severe impairments of degenerative changes of the

cervical spine; lumbago; lumbar radiculopathy; osteoarthritis of the right acromioclavicular (AC) joint; status post wrist fracture and repair; papillary thyroid cancer status post thyroidectomy; diabetes; peripheral neuropathy; incontinence; anxiety; and depression. Id. Third, she found that none of Plaintiff’s impairments or combination of impairments met or medically equaled the severity of a listed impairment from 20 C.F.R. Pt. 404, Subpt. P, App’x 1. [Tr. 34]. ALJ Francis then determined Plaintiff had the residual functional capacity (“RFC”) to perform “medium work,” as defined in 20 C.F.R. § 404.1567(c), with the following limitations: [the work could] not require more than frequent climbing ladders, ropes, and scaffolds, stooping, crouching, or crawling; more than frequent overhead reaching

1 Plaintiff originally listed her alleged onset date as July 6, 2016, but amended that date during the May 14, 2018 hearing. [Tr. 61, 157–69]. bilaterally; more than frequent handling, fingering, and feeling with the right upper extremity; more than frequent exposure to extreme cold and vibration; or more than frequent exposure to hazards, such as unprotected heights and dangerous, moving machinery. Additionally, she must be able to wear protective undergarments at work. Mentally, the claimant can understand and remember simple instructions and procedures; can sustain attention and concentration to complete simple tasks with regular breaks every 2 hours throughout an 8-hour workday; interact as needed with supervisors, coworkers, and the public; and adapt to routine work conditions and occasional workplace changes that are gradually introduced.

[Tr. 38]. Fourth, ALJ Francis found Plaintiff unable to perform her past relevant work. [Tr. 44]. Fifth and finally, considering Plaintiff’s age, education, work experience, and RFC, ALJ Francis determined there were jobs that existed in significant numbers in the national economy that Plaintiff could perform. Id. Based on this evaluation, ALJ Francis concluded that Plaintiff was not disabled, as defined in the Social Security Act, at any point from January 1, 2017, Plaintiff’s alleged onset date, through December 31, 2020, the date Plaintiff’s insured status under Title II lapsed. [Tr. 45]. Plaintiff sought review of ALJ Francis’s decision, and the Appeals Council declined review on July 7, 2022. [Tr. 1]. At that point, the denial became the final decision of the Commissioner, and Plaintiff sought judicial review from this Court. [R. 1]. On January 20, 2023, Plaintiff filed her first motion for summary judgment [R. 9], accompanied by two memoranda, [R. 9-1]; [R. 9-3]. On the Commissioner’s motion [R. 11], the Court struck all three documents because Plaintiff did not provide the required statement of legal arguments in her motion or the required citations to the administrative record in her briefs. See [R. 12]. The Court ordered Plaintiff to submit a new motion for summary judgment that complies with the Court’s standing scheduling order, which requires a supporting memorandum of not more than fifteen pages and containing “specific page citations to the administrative record to support [Plaintiff’s] arguments.” [R. 7, pp 3–4]. Of note, the scheduling order further advises that the Court “will not undertake an open-ended review of the entirety of the administrative record to find support for the parties’ arguments” and that “[f]ailure to provide specific citations to the record may constitute grounds for denial of the [party’s motion for summary judgment].” Id. at 4. On March 13, 2023, Plaintiff filed a new motion for summary judgment [R. 13] and supporting brief [R. 13-1]. The Commissioner then submitted his cross-motion for summary

judgment [R. 14], and the matter now stands submitted. II. Standard of Review

As an initial matter, in her brief, Plaintiff cites standards entirely inapplicable to the Court’s review of the Commissioner’s decision. First, she cites to the summary judgment standards under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 and Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S. Ct. 2548 (1986); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S. Ct. 2505 (1986); and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 106 S. Ct. 1348 (1986). See [R. 13-1, pp. 1–2].

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Hammons v. SSA, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hammons-v-ssa-kyed-2023.