Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-90-09575/USCOURTS-ca10-90-09575-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States Department of Labor
Respondent
Erwin T. Groark
Petitioner

Document Text:

FI LED 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEAI6aiced States Court of .Appeals 

FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT Tenth Circuit 

- ERWIN T. GROARK, 

Petitioner, 

v. 

DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF WORKERS' 

COMPENSATION PROGRAMS, UNITED 

STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, 

Respondent. 

) 

) 

) 

) 

JUN 141991 

&OBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

) No. 90-9575 

) (BRB No. 88-2242) 

) (Petition for Review) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before McKAY, SEYMOUR, and EBEL, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. 

Erwin T. Groark appeals the denial of benefits under the 

Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977, amending the federal Coal 

Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, 30 u.s.c. S 901 et~ 

(1988). We affirm. 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppal. 10th Cir. R. 

36.3. 

Appellate Case: 90-9575 Document: 010110120898 Date Filed: 06/14/1991 Page: 1 
To determine whether benefits were properly denied, we review 

whether the administrative law judge's (ALJ) decision is supported 

by substantial evidence in the record as a whole and is in 

accordance with the law. Velasquez v. Director, O.W.P.C., 835 

F.2d 262, 264 (10th Cir. 1987). In so doing, we inquire only into 

whether there exists sufficient evidence to support the trier of 

fact. Plutt v. Benefits Review Bd., 804 F.2d 597, 598 (10th Cir. 

1986) • 

After an administrative hearing and a review of the medical 

record, the ALJ concluded that Groark had not established his 

eligibility for benefits because the medical opinion evidence in 

the record did not establish the presence of pneumoconiosis. The 

Benefits Review Board (BRB) affirmed the ALJ's finding. 

Having reviewed the evidence in the record and Groark's 

objections thereto, we conclude there exists sufficient evidence 

to support the determination of the ALJ. We therefore AFFIRM. 

The mandate shall .issue forthwith. 

Entered for the Court 

Stephanie K. Seymour 

Circuit Judge 

2 

Appellate Case: 90-9575 Document: 010110120898 Date Filed: 06/14/1991 Page: 2