Pasillas v. Shalala

993 F. Supp. 1327, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8801, 1998 WL 67304
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedFebruary 10, 1998
DocketCivil Action No. 94-B-2374
StatusPublished

This text of 993 F. Supp. 1327 (Pasillas v. Shalala) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pasillas v. Shalala, 993 F. Supp. 1327, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8801, 1998 WL 67304 (D. Colo. 1998).

Opinion

ORDER

BABCOCK, District Judge.

THIS MATTER is before the Court upon the Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge filed January 15, 1998. No objections having been filed, the parties are barred from a de novo review of the matter. It is, therefore,

ORDERED that the recommendation of the magistrate judge is ACCEPTED. The decision of the Secretary is REVERSED, and the ease is REMANDED for a full award of benefits to the plaintiff, Martin Pasillas.

RECOMMENDATION OF UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

COAN, United States Magistrate Judge.

This matter is before the court on a May 12, 1997 special order of reference from District Judge Lewis T. Babcock. Plaintiff appeals the decision of the Secretary finding him ineligible for’benefits. Judicial review of the Secretary’s decision is appropriate under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). For the reasons discussed below, it is recommended that the decision of the Administrative Law Judge be reversed and thé matter remanded for an award of benefits.

I. Background

Mr. Pasillas (“claimant” or “Pasillas”) was born March 24, 1967 in Mexico. He speaks some English (Administrative Record (“R.”) at 34),2 completed six years of school in Mexico, and has no additional education. He is considered illiterate in English. R. at 95. Pasillas was employed as a farm laborer when he was injured by a flywheel from an engine which hit him in the lower back on July 18,1992. R. at 33.

A hearing was held before administrative law judge (“ALJ”) Swihart on March 18, 1994. At that hearing, claimant said he had not worked for pay since that injury. R. at 25, 37. Pasillas testified he could sit or stand for ten to fifteen minutes at a time before he had to move. R. at 35-36. Pasillas has pain in the upper part of his leg, which goes to his back unless he-changes positions. The pain wakes him at night and he is unable to sleep through the night. R. at 39. Claimant lies down during the day about three times a day due to the pain. R. at 40. Claimant has not had surgery for his back, but has had a course of physical therapy. R. at 43, 57. He can lift no more than ten pounds. R. at 43. He has had two injections to help his back pain. R. at 44, 57. If he walks a lot, his left leg goes to sleep. R. at 45. Pasillas is in pain all the time, and takes pain medication, which is ineffective. R. at 46. According to his wife, Pasillas can’t stay long in one place because of the pain. R. at 49. Claimant has [1330]*1330not had surgery on his back because he is afraid it will make him worse. R. at 60. On May 6, 1993, he asked for a referral to a different doctor for another opinion concerning the surgery. R. at 82.

Pasillas pursued a worker’s compensation claim and at the time of the hearing before the ALJ, was receiving workers’ compensation benefits of $280.00 every two weeks, which was the only income for his household of five. R. at 37-38. The workers’ compensation claim was unresolved as of the hearing date before ALJ'Swihart.

The ALJ’s decision issued April 21, 1994. The ALJ found that the medical evidence established that plaintiff sustained an injury to his back on July 18, 1992, as documented by an MRI showing a herniated L4-L5 disc and a possible anterior lip L5 fracture (R. at 23), which did not constitute an impairment under the grid. R. at 26. He found that claimant cannot life heavy objects and “it is obvious that claimant has a severe impairment related to his back injury.” Id. The ALJ relied on a functional capacities assessment indicating that the claimant can handle jobs in the sedentary to light range. Id. Pasillas’ deficits as stated in the vocational assessment and noted by the ALJ were stair and ladder climbing, elevated work, floor to waist lifting and waist to overhead lifting, with a weight restriction of fifteen pounds for one to two thirds of an eight hour day and a lifting restriction from' floor to waist limited to ten pounds for up to a third of a work day and five pounds for one to two thirds of a work day. Id. The ALJ further found that claimant could walk one to two' thirds of a work day and could sit and stand for up to one third of an eight hour day. Id.

The ALJ concluded that Pasillas’ treating physician and his physical therapists indicated he could perform sedentary jobs, and that Pasillas could riot perform his' prior work. R. at 24. The ALJ applied the “medical vocational guidelines in Appendix 2 of Sub-part' P. Régulations No. 4 (“the grid”), to direct his finding “when only exertional limitations are present,” that claimant retained the ability to perform a full range of sedentary work, and based on his education, age and experience, the grid required that Pasillas be found not disabled. Id.

The ALJ considered claimant’s complaints of pain but found them not disabling because there were no signs of muscle atrophy, muscle spasms or neurologic abnormality, claimant’s treatment and medication were consistent with a finding that he is not bothered by severe disabling pain when restricted to sedentary activity, and his treating physician and physical therapist had indicated that Pasillas could handle sedentary work. R. at 25. The ALJ determined that claimant had a weight lifting restriction of no more than ten pounds regularly and that he did not have nonexertional limitations. The ALJ found that Pasillas was unable to perform his past relevant work as a farm laborer, was. a “younger individual,” with an únskilled work background, who could not read or write English, but who had full residual capacity to perform the full range of sedentary work, and was therefore not disabled under the Social Security Act. R. at 26.

Plaintiff filed his complaint October 17, 1994, seeking reversal of the Appeals Council decision of August 19, 1994 which affirmed the ALJ. The Appeals Council’s decision was the final decision of the Secretary for purposes of judicial review under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). Fierro v. Bowen, 798 F.2d 1351, 1354-55 (10th Cir.1986).

II. Standard of Review

Judicial review of the Secretary’s decision is limited to whether the Secretary’s decision is supported by substantial evidence upon review of the record as a whole and whether she applied the correct legal standards. Andrade v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 985 F.2d 1045, 1047 (10th Cir.1993); Castellano v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 26 F.3d 1027, 1028 (10th Cir.1994). Substantial evidence is “such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Broadbent v. Harris, 698 F.2d 407, 414 (10th Cir.1983) (quoting Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401, 91 S.Ct.

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Related

Richardson v. Perales
402 U.S. 389 (Supreme Court, 1971)
Channel v. Heckler
747 F.2d 577 (Tenth Circuit, 1984)

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Bluebook (online)
993 F. Supp. 1327, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8801, 1998 WL 67304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pasillas-v-shalala-cod-1998.