Hintz v. Chater

913 F. Supp. 1486, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1192, 1996 WL 42050
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJanuary 24, 1996
DocketCivil Action 95-2227-GTV
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 913 F. Supp. 1486 (Hintz v. Chater) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hintz v. Chater, 913 F. Supp. 1486, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1192, 1996 WL 42050 (D. Kan. 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

VAN BEBBER, Chief Judge.

This action is brought pursuant to Title XVI of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1381 et seq., for judicial review of the final decision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“Secretary”) denying plaintiffs application for supplemental security income benefits under the Social Security Act (the “Act”). Plaintiff has filed a motion for judgment (Doc. 9), that seeks an order reversing or remanding the Secretary’s decision, while defendant has filed a motion in opposition to plaintiffs motion (Doc. II). 2 For the reasons set forth below, the decision of the Secretary is affirmed.

I. Procedural Background

On May 15, 1992, plaintiff filed an application for supplemental security income benefits under Title XVI of the Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1381 et seq. The application was denied initially and on reconsideration.

On June 16, 1994, an administrative hearing at which plaintiff and her counsel were present was held before an administrative law judge (“ALJ”). On November 21, 1994, the ALJ rendered a decision in which he determined that plaintiff was not under a “disability” as defined by the Social Security Act. On March 13, 1995, the Appeals Council denied plaintiffs request for review of the ALJ’s decision. Thus, the ALJ’s decision stands as the final decision of the Secretary.

II. Facts

Following is a brief summary of the evidence available to the ALJ and the testimony received at the hearing.

Plaintiff was born on November 11, 1953. She alleges- that she has been disabled since May 1992 because she has no thyroid gland. Plaintiff previously had applied for child disability benefits pursuant to Title II of the Act in November 1989. The claim was denied and plaintiff did not appeal.

The medical evidence of record in this case dates back to the 1980s. During this time, plaintiff underwent treatment for the congenital absence of a thyroid gland. She also reported during a physical examination in 1987 that it was difficult for her to hold a job because of fatigue and lack of energy. At the time, plaintiffs activities included attending school part-time and working part-time at a newspaper.

Dennis Spratt, M.D., was one of plaintiffs treating physicians in 1989. Dr. Spratt noted in his treatment records that plaintiff reported that she could not work. He reported that plaintiffs history of chronic anxiety probably rendered her unable to work. He recommended that plaintiff undergo professional psychiatric evaluation.

Plaintiff entered counseling at the Franklin County Mental Health Center in December 1989. She indicated to her social worker that she wanted to become more independent and to obtain employment. Plaintiffs social worker noted in February 1990 that if plaintiff continued to utilize therapy, she could seek employment within twelve months.

In 1990, plaintiff also underwent counseling at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Progress notes from the University of Kansas Medical Center indicate that plaintiff was not prescribed any medication for a mental impairment during her time in therapy-

In February 1990, plaintiff sought a consultative mental examination. The examination revealed that plaintiff suffered from depression, a low frustration tolerance, and symptoms of panic and anxiety. The treating physician diagnosed plaintiff as operating within an average intellectual range and that *1489 she might have some problems associating with supervisors and coworkers due to her lack of self-esteem and low. expectations. He also asserted that plaintiff had the ability to understand simple and complex job instructions and that she could concentrate on tasks during a normal eight-hour work day.

The Irlen Clinic reported in August 1990 that plaintiff suffered from Scotopie Sensitivity Syndrome which affected her reading and writing activities. This is a perceptual dysfunction related to difficulties with light sources, glare, luminance, wavelength,1 and contrast.

Steven B. Zeiler, M.D., was plaintiffs treating physician in 1991 and 1992. In April 1992, plaintiff complained of chronic pain and fatigue, but Dr. Zeiler noted inconsistencies between her alleged symptoms and her purported activities. Dr. Zeiler noted in a letter dated June 8, 1992, that he treated plaintiff for congenital hypothyroidism and that it was “adequately replaced with a thyroid hormone replacement.” He also reported that plaintiffs main problem was chronic exercise intolerance (lack of endurance) that was unrelated to inadequate thyroid replacement. Additionally, Dr. Zeiler indicated that plaintiff appeared to suffer from mild depression. Although he believed plaintiffs symptoms to be real, Dr. Zeiler concluded that the only medical explanation for plaintiffs condition was her obesity.

Plaintiff visited Dr. Zeiler a second time in June 1992. During this consultation, Dr. Zeiler discussed exercise options with plaintiff. As of October 13, 1992, plaintiffs medication included Synthroid, Benadryl, and Ibuprofen. Her medical problems included congenital hypothyroidism, weight gain, and chrome fatigue. There was no clear medical explanation available for plaintiffs fatigue complaint. Plaintiffs doctor advised her to return in six months or as needed.

Dr. Spratt indicated in a June 1992 clinical note that plaintiff had full range of motion in all joints, no definite physical abnormality, and no identifiable acute mental illness. He also noted that plaintiff complained of chronic fatigue and that she had applied for disability.

Plaintiff underwent a consultative examination from Arnold E. Moskowitz, Ph.D., on September 3.7, 1992, at the request of Disability Determination Services. Dr. Mos-kowitz reported that plaintiff complained that she had difficulty working more than four hours at a time because of fatigue that was possibly associated with depression. Plaintiff informed Dr. Moskowitz that she had lived with her mother all of her life which caused her a certain amount of anxiety. She stated that her daily activities included taking walks, quilting, laundry, shopping, some cleaning, and watching television. Dr. Mos-kowitz noted that plaintiff appeared to be mildly depressed, but that she was not psychotic. , He also reported that plaintiff had good short term memory, acceptable abstract reasoning, excellent arithmetic skills,-an ability to reproduce geometric figures, and could manage her own funds.

From August 1991 until May 1993 plaintiffs weight increased by twenty-seven pounds. Although she was on a low salt diet, plaintiff weighed 207 pounds in May 1993. In March 1993, plaintiff had pain in her right ankle, but an x-ray of that ankle indicated it was normal. In May 1993, plaintiff complained of persistent pain in her right leg. An x-ray revealed a possible stress fracture of the right distal tibia that was healing.

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Bluebook (online)
913 F. Supp. 1486, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1192, 1996 WL 42050, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hintz-v-chater-ksd-1996.