King v. Finch

313 F. Supp. 909, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12081
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedApril 15, 1970
DocketCiv. A. No. C 69-426
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 313 F. Supp. 909 (King v. Finch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
King v. Finch, 313 F. Supp. 909, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12081 (N.D. Ohio 1970).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

WILLIAM K. THOMAS, District Judge.

Under Section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) (1969), plaintiff John J. King appeals from the denial of his application for disability insurance benefits under the Social Security Act. Plaintiff’s application, filed on May 6, 1968, had been denied by the Director of the Division of Evaluation and Authorization on initial consideration and by the Director of the Division of Reconsideration a short time thereafter. A hearing was held on February 10, 1969 and an adverse decision was rendered by the hearing examiner on February 26, 1969. Shortly thereafter the Appeals Council of the Social Security Administration notified the plaintiff that it considered the decision of the hearing examiner correct and declined to take further administrative action. The matter is thus properly brought before this court.

Plaintiff, a 55-year-old male with a fifth grade education, had been employed as a transferman by Evans Brick Company, a producer of bricks, from 1955 until November 11, 1965. In that position plaintiff’s duties required laborious physical exertion but neither demanded nor developed any special occupational skills. Prior to his work in the brick factory plaintiff had worked eight or nine years for Dindo Coal Company in a job requiring the lifting, carrying, and positioning of explosives. As to the earlier work experience of plaintiff the transcript of the hearing contains only the following information:

Q Did you serve in the military service?
A No.
Q Have you any kind of specialized training?
A No. The only training I had was at the coal mines.

A medical examiner wrote in a letter concerning plaintiff:

Quit school in 5th grade to work on farms and then in coal mines up to 1955 * * *.

Plaintiff has been blind in one eye since age 11.

The hearing examiner determined that the plaintiff was not disabled within the statutory meaning of Section 223(d) (1) and (2) (A), 42 U.S.C. § 423(d) (1) and (2) (A). This is apparent from his conclusion that:

At no time during the effective period of claimant’s application, pursuant to the 1965 amendments to the Social Security Act, did or does the claimant have physical or mental impairments, either singularly or in combination of such severity or longevity as to preclude the claimant from engaging in any substantial gainful activity.

The conclusion is based on the following evaluation of the evidence:

The medical evidence reveals that claimant, an obese, well developed and well nourished male, presented essentially negative medical findings except for flat feet, overweight, and minimal tenderness under the calcaneus, with a sequelae of bilateral internal tibial torsion. The medical evidence further establishes that although claimant cannot be expected to stand for long periods of time because of the condition of his feet, there are no other body [911]*911limitations except for the loss of the sight of his left eye at eleven years of age. This man, who is apparently healthy except for foot discomfort on standing, is, according to the testimony of Vocational Expert Jenkins, capable of performing in the work of kitchen helper, and packer of plastics, which jobs both exist in significant numbers in the national economy as well as in the claimant’s vicinity of residence, [footnote omitted]

This court must review the record to determine whether the hearing examiner's decision is supported by substantial evidence. Section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) (1969). “Substantial evidence means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Miracle v. Celebrezze, 351 F.2d 361, 378 (6th Cir. 1965).

This court has carefully reviewed the hearing examiner’s decision, the transcript of the hearing, medical records contained in the file, and all other records therein. Plaintiff’s claim is straight forward and uncomplicated.

In his application for disability insurance benefits plaintiff described his disability simply as “heel condition.” When asked by the hearing examiner why he had left his job as a transferman in a brick factory, plaintiff answered:

My feet couldn’t stand [it] — I couldn’t walk any more.

There followed this exchange:

Q You mean you had pain in your feet?
A Yes. I had pain. And in the mornings I had to put them in a tub of water.
Q So you had pain in your feet, all day long, and every day?
A That’s right.
Q And that prevented you from continuing with your job?
A Yes, I couldn’t stand on that cement.

When asked why he was not working at the time of the hearing, the plaintiff answered: “Well, I can’t stand up too long, that’s why.” Plaintiff states that the difficulty with his feet has caused, and is causing, insomnia. He testified:

Some days I go for two days, and I can hardly sleep * * *.
* * * * * *
I get up at night and get a tub of cold water and put my feet in it to cool them off.

Plaintiff further testified that his feet began to trouble him when he worked in the coal mine. He stated:

I just couldn’t find a place to rest them hardly. So then I quit there and I went to the brick plant.

Because of the condition of his feet plaintiff found it necessary to stop working at the brick plant on November 11, 1965. A medical report of E. J. Casiano, M.D., indicates that plaintiff told Dr. Casiano that for two months prior to November 22, 1965, he had experienced pain in his heels, on walking. A letter from C. S. Sandhu, M.D., indicates that plaintiff told Dr. Sandhu that the problems with his feet were first experienced in 1964 and kept getting worse. A report of a disability interview conducted by Ala J. Smith for the Social Security Administration on March 21, 1967, states that “around 1963 W/E noticed he [sic] feet bothering him.”

Medical evidence is rather limited. Dr. Casiano, an orthopedic surgeon, filed a report on April 6, 1967. In it he relates that plaintiff first came to him on November 22, 1965. Dr. Casiano found that the left foot revealed tenderness in the heel, sole and calcaneus, and the right foot revealed tenderness in the calcaneus on the inferior border. “Feet- — • low arches” were also noted. Plaintiff returned to the doctor six times within the next three months, regularly reporting pain in his heels and other areas of his left foot. The doctor ordered x-rays, a uric acid test, and a fasting blood test. None of the tests revealed [912]

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313 F. Supp. 909, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12081, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-finch-ohnd-1970.