Rivera v. Secretary of Health & Human Services

622 F. Supp. 89
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedOctober 8, 1985
DocketCiv. No. 84-0149(PG)
StatusPublished

This text of 622 F. Supp. 89 (Rivera v. Secretary of Health & Human Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rivera v. Secretary of Health & Human Services, 622 F. Supp. 89 (prd 1985).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

PEREZ-GIMENEZ, Chief Judge.

This is an action brought under Section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, as amended, (the Act) for review of the decision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) which denied plaintiffs application for a period of disability and disability insurance benefits.

Plaintiff is a forty-nine-year-old woman with a twelfth-grade education and over twenty years of work experience as a welder (Tr. 35). On October 5, 1976, she reported backaches to the State Insurance Fund due to the type of work she performed as a factory operator. She filed an application for disability benefits on March 19, 1979. This Court sustained the denial of the administative law judge (AU) of her claim. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed. Falu v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 703 F.2d 24 (1st Cir.1983).

Plaintiff applied again for disability benefits on March 1, 1983, claiming she had been unable to work since September of 1980 due to a nervous condition and back pain (Tr. 70-73, 79). Plaintiff was insured for disability insurance benefit purposes until March 31, 1982 (Tr. 9). This application was denied at the initial stages of the administrative proceedings. The AJL found, after a de novo review of the record, that plaintiff was not under a disability (Tr. 10). The Appeals Council approved the AU’s decision, which became the final decision of the Secretary. This case was inadvertently remanded by this Court in accordance with Section 2(d)(2) of the Act and was reinstated on August 2, 1985.

The sole question for this Court is whether the Secretary’s determinations are supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. 42 U.S.C. 405(g); Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401, 91 S.Ct. 1420, 1427, 28 L.Ed.2d 842 (1971); Falu v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, 703 F.2d 24, 28 (1st Cir.1983). Substantial evidence is such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion. Universal Camera v. N.L.R.B., 340 U.S. 474, 477, 71 S.Ct. 456, 459, 95 L.Ed. 456 (1951).

The AU concluded that the claimant had a status post-lumbo sacral sprain and a moderate anxiety disorder, but that she did not have a severe impairment. Therefore, the AU found that she was not disabled. The AU considered both the non-exertional and exertional impairment to reach his conclusion.

After a thorough consideration of all the evidence in this case, as well as the Secretary’s findings and the issues presented by this appeal, this Court concludes that the Secretary's determination is supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole.

Pursuant to the Act, the Secretary established Social Security Administration Regulation No. 4. Said Regulation provides for a set order to evaluate disability (20 C.R.F. § 404.1520(a)). In addition, a claimant’s impairment must meet the 12-month duration requirement before being found disabling. If it is determined that a claimant is or is not disabled at any point in the review, further review is not necessary. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(a). In following the set order, the AU concluded that a decision on whether the claimant is disabled cannot be made based on work activity (the first step in the sequence). He did, however, use the second step to determine whether the claimant was disabled. Under this second step (20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(c)) if the impairment is not severe, a finding must be made that the individual is not disabled, regardless of age, education and work experience. To have a severe impairment the impairment or combination of impairments must significantly limit the claimant’s physical or mental ability to do basic work activities. “Basic work activities” is defined in 20 C.F.R. § 404.1521(b). This section states:

(b) Basic work activities. When we talk about basic work activities, we mean the [91]*91abilities and aptitudes necessary to do most jobs. Examples of these include—
(1) Physical functions such as walking, standing, sitting, lifting, pushing, pulling, reaching, carrying or handling;
(2) Capacities for seeing, hearing, and speaking;
(3) Understanding, carrying out and remembering simple instructions;
(4) Use of judgment;
(5) Responding appropriately to supervision, co-workers and usual work situations; and
(6) Dealing with changes in a routine work setting.

According to the AU, the medical evidence in the record indicated that the claimant had a mild to moderate status post-lumbo sacral sprain, no evidence of neurological deficit, and no marked loss of motion. He also found no medical evidence to support plaintiff’s allegation of severe pain (Tr. 10). Such determinations are supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. In August of 1981, a clinical evaluation showed a mild diminishment of the lumbar lordosis and pain on deep palpation. Although there was a somewhat restricted range of motion, plaintiff could squat, sit, kneel, and the neurological examination was negative (Tr. 118).

Dr. Godreau also found on May 7, 1982, that plaintiff could occasionally bend, squat, crawl, climb and reach above shoulder level (Tr. 157).

Dr. Molinari felt there was a moderate scoliosis to the left, apex at L-3. He felt the claimant could be trained to perform activities that did not require prolongued standing, walking or repeated bendings. He felt that the plaintiff should not carry more than moderate weights (Tr. 131). An electromylogram and a lumbar myelogram were both normal (Tr. 136).

Dr. Marchan Matta also found that there was a moderate levoscoliosis. The pedicles and vertebral bodies were intact and the intervertebral spaces were well preserved (Tr. 155). The reviewing physician at the Department of Health and Human Services stated that the back did not show severe spasms nor muscular weakness (Tr. 111).

In summary, the evidence of the record did show that plaintiff has a mild to moderate sacral spasm but not severe enough to impede her from performing basic work activities. Plaintiff was able to squat, sit, kneel and walk. The neurological examination was negative and an electromyelogram, as well as a lumbar myelogram, were normal.

In relation to plaintiff’s alleged nervous condition, the AU’s findings of a moderate anxiety disorder and of no severe impairment that would bar plaintiff from performing any of the basic work activities was supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole.

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Related

Richardson v. Perales
402 U.S. 389 (Supreme Court, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
622 F. Supp. 89, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rivera-v-secretary-of-health-human-services-prd-1985.