Ramos v. Astrue

674 F. Supp. 2d 1076, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119050, 2009 WL 4555567
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedNovember 27, 2009
DocketCase 09-C-0392
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 674 F. Supp. 2d 1076 (Ramos v. Astrue) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ramos v. Astrue, 674 F. Supp. 2d 1076, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119050, 2009 WL 4555567 (E.D. Wis. 2009).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

LYNN ADELMAN, District Judge.

Plaintiff Pedro Ramos applied for social security disability benefits, claiming that he could no longer work due to heart problems, fibromyalgia, obesity and depression. The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) denied the application initially (Tr. at 60; 76; 620) and on reconsideration (Tr. at 61; 81; 621), as did an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) after a hearing in a decision dated September 14, 2006 (Tr. at 62-72). The SSA’s Appeals Council vacated and remanded for reconsideration of plaintiffs obesity (Tr. at 74-75), but on June 20, 2008, the ALJ issued another unfavorable decision, in large part readopting his previous conclusions (Tr. at 18-27). This time the Council denied review (Tr. at 7), making the ALJ’s decision the agency’s final word on the application. See Nelms v. Astrue, 553 F.3d 1093, 1097 (7th Cir.2009).

Plaintiff now seeks judicial review pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). Because the ALJ’s decisions are unreasoned, internally inconsistent, and based on a misunderstanding of plaintiffs impairments and an *1080 incomplete reading of the record, I must remand for further proceedings. I will also recommend that the Commissioner assign the case to a different ALJ.

I. APPLICABLE LEGAL STANDARDS

A. Judicial Review

Under § 405(g), the reviewing court determines whether the ALJ’s decision is supported by “substantial evidence” and free of harmful legal error. Nelms, 553 F.3d at 1097. Evidence is “substantial” if it is sufficient for a reasonable mind to accept as adequate to support the decision. Ketelboeter v. Astrue, 550 F.3d 620, 624 (7th Cir.2008). Accordingly, if conflicting evidence in the record would allow reasonable people to differ as to whether the claimant is disabled, the ALJ’s decision to deny the application must be upheld. See, e.g., Walker v. Bowen, 834 F.2d 635, 640 (7th Cir.1987). The court does not reweigh the evidence, resolve evidentiary conflicts, decide questions of credibility, or substitute its judgment for the ALJ’s. Powers v. Apfel, 207 F.3d 431, 434 (7th Cir.2000).

Nevertheless, the court must review the entire record, considering both the evidence that supports, as well as the evidence that detracts from, the ALJ’s decision. Briscoe v. Barnhart, 425 F.3d 345, 351 (7th Cir.2005). Further, the court may not uphold an ALJ’s decision, even if there is enough evidence in the record to support it, if the decision fails to provide an accurate and logical bridge between the evidence and the result, see, e.g., Blakes v. Barnhart, 331 F.3d 565, 569 (7th Cir.2003); Sarchet v. Chater, 78 F.3d 305, 307 (7th Cir.1996), lacks a meaningful discussion of important evidence, see, e.g., Giles v. Astrue, 483 F.3d 483, 486 (7th Cir.2007), or rests upon flawed logic or serious errors in reasoning, see, e.g., Indoranto v. Barnhart, 374 F.3d 470, 475 (7th Cir.2004) (citing Carradine v. Barnhart, 360 F.3d 751, 754-56 (7th Cir.2004)). Similarly, if the ALJ commits an error of law, reversal is “required without regard to the volume of evidence in support of the factual findings.” Binion v. Chater, 108 F.3d 780, 782 (7th Cir.1997). The ALJ commits legal error if he fails to comply with the SSA’s regulations and Rulings for evaluating disability claims. See, e.g., Golembiewski v. Barnhart, 382 F.3d 721, 724 (7th Cir.2004).

B. Disability Standard

The SSA has adopted a sequential, five-step test for determining disability, pursuant to which the ALJ asks:

(1) Has the claimant engaged in substantial gainful activity (“SGA”) since his alleged onset of disability?
(2) If not, does he suffer from a severe, medically determinable impairment?
(3) If so, does that impairment meet or equal any impairment listed in SSA regulations as presumptively disabling?
(4) If not, does he retain the residual functional capacity (“RFC”) to perform his past work?
(5) If not, can he perform other jobs existing in significant numbers?

See, e.g., Villano v. Astrue, 556 F.3d 558, 561 (7th Cir.2009).

(6) The claimant bears the burden of presenting evidence at steps one through four, but if he reaches step five the burden shifts to the Commissioner to show that the claimant can make the adjustment to other work. See, e.g., Briscoe, 425 F.3d at 352. The Commissioner may carry this burden by either relying on the Medical-Vocational Guidelines, a chart that classifies a person as disabled or not disabled based on his age, education, work experience and exertional ability, or by summoning a vocational expert (“VE”) to offer an opinion on other jobs the claimant can do *1081 despite his limitations. See, e.g., Herron v. Shalala, 19 F.3d 329, 336-37 (7th Cir. 1994).

II. FACTS AND BACKGROUND A. Medical Evidence

1. Heart Problems

Plaintiff suffered a heart attack in February 2002 and underwent bypass surgery the following month. He initially did well after the surgery, but in July 2002 developed symptoms of exertional angina and subsequently underwent angioplasty and stenting in August of 2002. He again did well for a time but then developed atypical chest pain and, following an abnormal stress test, underwent cardiac catheterization in July 2003. Thereafter, his complaints of dyspnea on exertion and fatigue returned, and his doctors performed a stress test in April 2004, which was again abnormal, so in May of 2004 he underwent repeat cardiac catheterization. (Tr. at 192-201; 213-14; 216-22; 240-46; 275-76; 281; 317; 610-11.)

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Bluebook (online)
674 F. Supp. 2d 1076, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 119050, 2009 WL 4555567, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ramos-v-astrue-wied-2009.