FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT MARCH 26, 2008 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H]

I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 07- 15123 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D. C. Do c k e tNo . 0 6 - 0 0 5 7 0 - CV- J - TE M B I L L Y R Y E , P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s C O M M I S S I O N E R O F S O C I A L S E C U R I T Y A D M I N I S T R A T I O N , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lle e .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( M ar c h 26, 2008) B efo re D U B IN A , C A RN E S an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: T hi s i s B i l l y R y e ’ s appe a l f r om the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s or de ra f f i rm i ng the2

C o m m is s io n e ro f

th e S o c ia l S e c u r ity A d m in is tr a tio n ’s d e n ia l o f d is ab ility i n s u r a n c e b e n e f

i t s u n d e r4 2 U . S. C. § 4 0 5 ( g ) , a n d s u p p l e me n t a l s e c u r i ty i n c o me u n d er4 2 U .S .C . § 1 3 8 3 . R ye co n ten d s th at th e A d m in istrativ e L aw Ju d g e’s f i ndi ngs tha tR y e c oul d s i t“ a tl e a s t4–6 hour s ada yw i th as i t/ s t a nd opt i on” a nd th a t “h e is ab le to w a lkin 1 5 - m in u te in c r e m e n ts f o ra t le a s t 2 h o u r s in aw o rk - d a y ,” ar e a m bi gu ou s and i ncon si st entw i th the fi nd i ng thatR ye i s notdi sabl ed because , u n d e rth e lo w - e n d e s tim a te o f f o u rh o u r s o f

s it/s ta n d tim e , h e c o u ld n o t w o rkaf u ll e ig h t- h o u rd a y . W e r ev iew d e n o v o th e leg al p rin cip les u p o n w h ich th e C o m m issio n er ’s d e c is io n is b a s e d . M o o r e v . B a rn h a rt, 4 0 5 F .3 d 1 2 0 8 , 1 2 1 1 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) . W e w ill a f f irm th e C o m m is s io n e r ’s d e c is io n o n ad is ab ility b e n e f its ap p lic a tio n if

it is supp ort ed by subst ant i al evi dence and the C om m i ss i on erappl i ed the corre ctl egal s t a nda r ds . G r a ha m v. A pf e l , 129 F . 3d 1420, 1422 ( 11th C i r . 1997) . T he C o m m is s io n e r ’s d e c is io n w ill n o t b e d is tu rb e d if , in lig h t o f

th e r e c o r d a s w h o le , it appe a r s t o be s upport e d by s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e . L e w i s v. C a l l a ha n, 125 F . 3d 1 4 3 6 , 1 4 3 9

– 4 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 7 ) . U n d e rth is lim ite d s ta n d a r d o f r e v ie w , w e w ill notde c i de the f

a c t s a ne w , m a ke c r e di bi l i ty de t e rm i na t i ons , orr e - w e i gh the e v id e n c e . M o o r e , 4 0 5 F .3 d a t 1 2 1 1 . O nce the A L J f

i nd s thata c l ai m antcann otre turn t o h i s or herpri or w ork, as3

i n thi s c a s e , the bur de n of pr oof s hi f t s t o the C om m i s s i one rt o e s t abl i s h tha tthe c la im a n t c o u ld p e r f

o rm o th e rw o rkth a t e x is ts in th e lo c a l o rn a tio n a l e c o n o m y . J one s v. A pf

e l , 190 F . 3d 1224, 1228 ( 11th C i r . 1999) . I n de t e rm i ni ng w he the rthe C om m i s s i one rha s m e tthi s bur de n, the A L J m us tde ve l op af ul l r e c or d r e ga r di ng the voc a t i ona l opportuni t i e s a va i l abl e t o ac l a i m a nt . A l l e n v. S ul l i va n, 880 F . 2d 12 00 , 12 01 (11th C i r. 19 89 ). T hi s burden m aybe m etthrou gh the use of a vo ca t i on al expert . F oo t e v. C hat er , 67 F . 3d 15 53 , 15 59 (11th C i r. 19 95 ). In order fo r a v o cat i o n al ex p ert ’ s t est i m o n y t o co n st i tu t e su b st an t i al ev i d en ce, th e A L J m u st p o se to h im a h yp o th etical q u es ti o n w h ich co n tain s a ll o f th e c laim an t’ s i m pai rm ent s. S ee V ega v. C om m ’ r of S oc. S ec . , 26 5 F . 3d 12 14 , 12 20 (11th C i r. 2 0 0 1 ) . T he r e s i dua l f

unc t i ona l c apa c i ty t e s ti s a n a s s e s s m e nt , ba s e d upon a l l of the r e le v a n t e v id e n c e , o f

ac la im a n t’s r e m a in in g ab ility to d o w o rkd e s p ite h is im p a irm e n ts . S e e L e w is v . C a lla h a n , 1 2 5 F .3 d 1 4 3 6 , 1 4 4 0 ( 1 1 th C ir . 1 9 9 7 ) . S oci al S ec uri ty R ul i ng 96 -8p d ef i nes an i nd i vi du al ’ s r es i du al funct i on al capaci ty a s the pers on ’ s m axi m um re m ai ni ng abi l i ty “ t o d o sust ai ned w ork act i vi t i es i n an o r d in ary w o rks e ttin g o n ar e g u la ra n d c o n tin u in g b a s is .” S .S .R . 9 6 - 8 p a t 2 . A

“ r e gul a ra nd c ont i nui ng ba s i s ” m e a ns e i ghthour s ada y , f i ve da y s aw e e k, orthe e q u iv a le n t w o rks c h e d u le . I d .4

H e r e , the A L J f

ound tha tR y e c oul d s i tf or“ a tl e a s t ” f

ourt o s i x hour s , a nd thathe coul d st and and w al k i n fi ft ee n m i nu t e i ncre m ent s f or “ atl ea st ” tw o h ou rs i n a w orkd ay . T he re cord supp ort s thi s f i nd i ng and sup po rt s the concl usi on that R ye can p er form w ork o n a re gu l arand con t i nu i ng basi s und erthe re si du al funct i on al capaci ty t es t . T he A L J heard t es t i m on y f rom a vocat i on al expertthat g iv e n th e lim ite d n u m b e ro f h o u r s R y e c a n s it an d s ta n d in aw o rk d a y , h e c o u ld s t i l l f i nd e m pl oy m e nta s af

ood a nd be ve r a ge or de rc l e rk ort i c ke tt a ke r , j obs the expertop i ned exi stbo th i n F l ori da, w here R ye l i ves, and i n the broader nat i on al e c onom y . I n l i ghtof

the de f e r e nt i a l r e vi e w w e gi ve a ge nc y f i ndi ngs , M oor e , 405 F .3 d a t 1 2 1 1 , w e c a n n o t a c c e p t R y e ’s in te rp r e ta tio n o f th e A L J ’s f

in d in g w ith re gard t o the nu m ber of hou rs he coul d si ti n a w orkd ay . D oi ng so w ou l d i gn ore the w ords “ atl ea st ” and the fi nd i ng thathe coul d si tfor s i x h ou rs . W e there fore c o n c lu d e th a t th e C o m m is s io n e r ’s d e c is io n is s u p p o rte d b y s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . AF F I RME D.