Vaughn v. Commissioner of Social Security

District Court, E.D. Washington·Decided April 24, 2020·No. 2:19-cv-00214·Unknown

Opinion

FILED IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON Apr 24, 2020

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SEAN F. MCAVOY, CLERK EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON LISA V., No. 2:19-cv-00214-SMJ Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S v. MOTION FOR SUMMARY COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL COMMISSIONER’S MOTION

Defendant.

Plaintiff Lisa V. appeals the Administrative Law Judge’s (ALJ) denial of her application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. She alleges the ALJ (1) improperly evaluated the opinions of an examining physician, and (2) erred in discounting her own subjective symptom testimony. The Commissioner of Social Security (“Commissioner”) asks the Court to affirm the ALJ’s decision. Before the Court, without oral argument, are the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment, ECF Nos. 10, 11. Upon reviewing the administrative record, the parties’ briefs, and the relevant authority, the Court is fully informed. For the reasons set forth below, the Court agrees with Plaintiff that the ALJ erred in evaluating both the medical opinion evidence and Plaintiff’s symptom testimony. Although these errors invalidated the ALJ’s conclusion that Plaintiff did not qualify for benefits, Plaintiff’s entitlement is not clear from the face of the record. Accordingly, the

Court grants Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment, denies the Commissioner’s motion for summary judgment, and remands for further proceedings. BACKGROUND1

Plaintiff applied for benefits on December 19, 2016, alleging disability with an onset date of August 8, 2016. AR 165–66.2 The Commissioner denied Plaintiff’s application on January 24, 2017, see AR 59–66, and denied it again on reconsideration, see AR 68–80. At Plaintiff’s request, a hearing was held before

ALJ Mark Kim. AR 31–58. The ALJ denied Plaintiff benefits on September 12, 2018. AR 12–30. The Appeals Council denied Plaintiff’s request for review on May 13, 2019. AR 1–6. Plaintiff then appealed to this Court under 42 U.S.C.

§ 405(g). ECF No. 1. A “disability” is defined as the “inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment

which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to

1 The facts, thoroughly stated in the record and the parties’ briefs, are only briefly summarized here. 2 References to the administrative record (AR), ECF No. 7, are to the provided page numbers to avoid confusion. last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months.” 42 U.S.C. §§ 423(d)(1)(A), 1382c(a)(3)(A). The decision-maker uses a five-step sequential

evaluation process to determine whether a claimant is disabled. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520, 416.920. Step one assesses whether the claimant is engaged in substantial gainful

activities. If he is, benefits are denied. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(b), 416.920(b). If he is not, the decision-maker proceeds to step two. Step two assesses whether the claimant has a medically severe impairment or combination of impairments. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(c), 416.920(c). If the claimant

does not, the disability claim is denied. If the claimant does, the evaluation proceeds to the third step. Step three compares the claimant’s impairment with a number of listed

impairments acknowledged by the Commissioner to be so severe as to preclude substantial gainful activity. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(d), 404 Subpt. P App. 1, 416.920(d). If the impairment meets or equals one of the listed impairments, the claimant is conclusively presumed to be disabled. If the impairment does not, the

evaluation proceeds to the fourth step. Step four assesses whether the impairment prevents the claimant from performing work he has performed in the past by examining the claimant’s residual

functional capacity, or RFC. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(e), 416.920(e). If the claimant is able to perform his previous work, he is not disabled. If the claimant cannot perform this work, the evaluation proceeds to the fifth step.

Step five, the final step, assesses whether the claimant can perform other work in the national economy in view of his age, education, and work experience. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(f), 416.920(f); see Bowen v. Yuckert, 482 U.S. 137 (1987).

If the claimant can, the disability claim is denied. If the claimant cannot, the disability claim is granted. The burden of proof shifts during this sequential disability analysis. The claimant has the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case of entitlement to

disability benefits. Rhinehart v. Finch, 438 F.2d 920, 921 (9th Cir. 1971). The burden then shifts to the Commissioner to show (1) the claimant can perform other substantial gainful activity, and (2) that a “significant number of jobs exist in the

national economy,” which the claimant can perform. Kail v. Heckler, 722 F.2d 1496, 1498 (9th Cir. 1984). A claimant is disabled only if his impairments are of such severity that he is not only unable to do his previous work but cannot, considering his age, education, and work experiences, engage in any other

substantial gainful work which exists in the national economy. 42 U.S.C. §§ 423(d)(2)(A), 1382c(a)(3)(B).

At step one, the ALJ found Plaintiff had not engaged in substantial gainful activity since the alleged onset date of August 6, 2016. AR 17. At step two, the ALJ found that Plaintiff had three medically determinable

severe impairments: cerebrovascular accident, left eye trochlear nerve palsy, and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Id. The ALJ found neither Plaintiff’s sleep apnea, which was aggravated by alcohol, nor her intermittent migraines were severe

impairments. AR 17–18. At step three, the ALJ found that Plaintiff did not have an impairment or combination of impairments that met or medically equaled the severity of a listed impairment. AR 18.

At step four, the ALJ found that Plaintiff had an RFC sufficient to perform a restricted range of light work as defined in 20 C.F.R. § 404.1567(b) with the following limitations:

[Plaintiff] can lift and carry a maximum of 10 pounds frequently and a maximum of 20 pounds occasionally. She can sit for a total of eight hours in an eight-hour workday with normal breaks. [Plaintiff] can stand and walk for a total of six hours in an eight-hour workday with normal breaks. She can never climb ladders, ropes, or scaffolds or balance. She can occasionally climb ramps and stairs. [Plaintiff] must avoid all exposure to workplace hazards, including dangerous moving machinery and unprotected heights. She can never drive. [Plaintiff] can read print, including that on bottles, computer screens, and paperwork, for a total of one hour during an eight-hour workday with normal breaks.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Vaughn v. Commissioner of Social Security, (E.D. Wash. 2020).

Vaughn v. Commissioner of Social Security (Vaughn v. Commissioner of Social Security) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Bowen v. Yuckert
482 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs v. Sanders
556 U.S. 396 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Tommasetti v. Astrue
533 F.3d 1035 (Ninth Circuit, 2008)
Orn v. Astrue
495 F.3d 625 (Ninth Circuit, 2007)
Smolen v. Chater
80 F.3d 1273 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)
Lester v. Chater
81 F.3d 821 (Ninth Circuit, 1995)
Allen v. Heckler
749 F.2d 577 (Ninth Circuit, 1984)
Bunnell v. Sullivan
947 F.2d 341 (Ninth Circuit, 1991)