2006 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 4-26-2006 

# Leech v . C omm S o c i al S ecurity P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 05-2107

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2006 D e c i sion s b y an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion
" L e e ch v . C omm S oc i al S e c urity " (2006). 2006 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1217. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006/1217NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o. 05- 2107 J OYC E E . L E E CH , A ppel l ant v. J O A NN E BA RN HA RT, CO M M I SS I ON ER O F S OC I AL SECU RI TY A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e W e ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 04- cv- 01274) D i s tr i ctJ udge: H onor abl e Thom as M . H ar di m an Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

M ar ch 6, 2006 B efore: R E N D E L L and A M B R O , C i rcui tJudg es, and SH A PI R O , D i s tr i ctJ udge* ( Fi l ed A pr i l 26, 2006) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

* H onor abl e N or m a L S hapi r o, Seni orD i s tr i ctC ourtJ udge forthe East ern D i s tr i ctof Penns y l vani a, s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on.2

R E N D E L L , C i r cui tJudge . Jo y c e E . L e e c h a p p e a ls th e D istric t C o u rt’s o rd e r a f f irm in g th e S o c ial S e c u rity C o m m iss io n e r’s d e ter m in a tio n th a t sh e is n o t d isa b led a n d th e re f o re n o t en tit led to D i s abi l i tyI ns ur ance B enef i t s ( “D I B ”) underthe Soci al Secur i tyA ct . B eca us e w e fi nd thats ubs t ant i al evi dence s uppor t s the A dm i ni s tr at i ve Law J udge’ s ( “A L J ”) det erm i nat i on thatL eec h has r es i dual funct i onal capa ci tyt o per form w or k thatexi s t s i n s i gni fi cant n u mb e r s i n th e n a t i o n a l e c o n o my , we wi l l a f f i r m. I. F acts B eca us e the part i es ar e fa m i l i arw i th the fa ct s , w e w i l l pr ovi de onl ya br i ef s u m m a ry o f

th e e v e n ts le a d in g u p to th e a p p e a l. O n February13, 2003, L eec h fi l ed an appl i cat i on forD I B , al l egi ng di s abi l i tyas of O c to b e r 1 0 , 2 0 0 1 , d u e to v o c a l lo s s , b re a th in g d is a b iliti e s a n d n e c k a n d b a c k p a in . She w as for ty - tw o atthe t i m e of the A L J ’ s deci s i on. She gr aduat ed fr om hi gh schoo l and com plet ed thr ee y ears of co l l ege, and, i n the past , she had w orked a s a l i cens ed pr act i cal nur s e, a medi cal r ecor ds cl erk, a uni tcl erk and a book r eade r . She has notbeen e m pl oy ed s i nce O ct ober10, 2001. D ur i ng heral l eged di s abi l i ty , L eec h car ed for m os tof herdai l yneeds , i ncl udi ng cooki ng, cl eani ng, l aundry , gr ocerys hoppi ng and w a lk in g h e r d o g s, a n d h a d n o t re q u ire d a n ya ss ista n c e f o r a p p ro x im a telyo n e y e a r p rio r to herhear i ng befor e the A L J . A ta hea r i ng befor e the A L J , L eec h t es t i fi ed thats he suffered from several m edical l ydeterm i nab l e i m pairm ents , i ncludi ng deg enerat i ve d i sc3

di s eas e, obes i ty , ur i naryi ncont i nence , m i l d bi l at er al carpal tunnel s yndr om e, g a s tr o e s o p h a g e a l r e f

lu x d is e a s e a n d v o c a l f

o ld p a re s is /m u s c u la r t e n s io n d y s p h o n ia . T he obj ect i ve medi cal evi dence thatL eec h pr es ent ed di d nots uppor ther s ubj ect i ve compl ai nt s . Forexampl e, L eec h compl ai ned thats he w as di s abl ed due t o a w ea k v o ice a n d test ifi ed that, fo r a ti m e, she co u ld n o t spe ak at all . H o w ev er, L ee ch ’s phy s i ci an r eport ed thathervoi ce w as nor m al dur i ng a forty - m i nut e exa m i nat i on, and her ot ol aryngol ogi s tr eport ed thatherneck, thr oat , m outh, nos e and e ar s , as w el l has her gener al appea r ance , w er e norm al . She al s o compl ai ned the s he s uffe r ed fr om g a stro e so p h a g e a l re f

lu x d ise a se , b u t D r. W a ld , h e r g a stro e n ter o lo g ist, d iag n o se d h e r w ith m i nim al refl ux , and ano ther exam i ning do ct or quest i on ed w hethershe had refl ux dis ease atal l . L eec h al s o cl ai m ed thats he w as di s abl ed as a r es ul tof r adi at i ng neck, back a nd l eg p a in a n d te s tif

ie d th a t s h e h a d d if

f ic u lty w a lk in g a n d , a t tim e s , m o v in g h e r n e c k . H ow ever , herdi agnos t i c t es t s s how ed thats he had ve rym i l d degene r at i ve j oi ntdi s eas e, bu tno fractures, herni at ed d i scs, nerve root i m pingem ent, spi nal canal st eno si s, neur ol ogi cal defi ci t s , noranys i gni fi cantdegene r at i ve abnorm al i t i es . Fur therm or e, her p h y s ic ia n s ta te d th a t lig h t o r s e d e n ta ry w o rk w o u ld “ c e rt a in ly” b e p e rm is s ib le . D r . B r y an, a s t at e age ncyphy s i ci an, r evi ew ed Leech’ s m edi cal r ecor ds and d e ter m in e d th a t sh e c o u ld lift m o d e ra te a m o u n ts o f w e ig h t, stan d o r w a lk f o r six h o u rs in a n e ig h t-h o u r w o rk d a y , sit fo r six h o u rs in a n e ig h t-h o u r w o rk d a y , an d h a d n o p u sh /p u ll l i mi t a t i o n s . He a l s o b e l i e v e d th a tth e s e v e r i tya n d d u r a t i o n o f Le e c h ’ s a l l e g e d s ymp t o ms4

w e re d isp ro p o rtio n a te to h e r m e d ica llyd e ter m in a b le im p a irm e n ts a n d h e r c o m p lain ts w e re e m b e llis h e d . D r. O strow ski , a vo cat i on al exp ert(“V E ”) w ho t est i fi ed as an i m part i al w i tness, s t at ed thatL eec h coul d per form a s i gni fi cantnum berof j obs thatexi s t ed w i thi n the n a tio n a l e c o n o m ya n d th a t s u c h jo b s w e re a v a ila b le w ith a s it/s ta n d o p tio n . T he A L J found thatL eec h’ s s ubj ect i ve compl ai nt s w er e notful l ycr edi bl e, and det erm i ned that , w hi l e Leech s uffe r s fr om s ever al i m pai r m ent s , s he i s notdi s abl ed under the SSA , beca us e ther e ar e a s i gni fi cantnum berof j obs i n the nat i onal economythats he c a n p e r f o r m. I I . D i s cus s i on A . St andard of R evi ew W e r evi ew the A L J ’ s deci s i on, w hi ch cons t i tut es the C om m i s s i oner ’ s fi nal d e c is io n , to d e te rm in e w h e th e r i t w a s s u p p o rt e d b ys u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . 4 2 U .S .C . § 4 0 5 (g ); Mons ourMedi cal C tr . v. Heckl er , 8 0 6 F .2 d 1 1 8 5 , 1 1 9 0 (3 d C ir . 1 9 8 6 ). Subst ant i al evi dence i s l es s than a pr eponder ance butm or e than a s ci nt i l l a; i ti s “s uch r el evantevi dence as a r eas onabl e mi nd m i ghtacc eptas adequa t e. ” B oo ne v. Ba rnha rt , 3 5 3 F .3 d 2 0 3 , 2 0 5 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 4 ). B . Sub s t ant i al E vi dence D et erm i nat i on 1. L eec h’ s R es i dual F unct i onal C apaci t y t o W ork L eec h ar gues thatthe A L J err ed i n fi ndi ng thats he r et ai ns r es i dual funct i onal5

capa ci tyt o per form l i ght , s edent aryw or k. T her e w as cons i der abl e evi dence i n the r ecor d, i n c l u d i n g th e s t a t e me n t s o f Le e c h ’ s d o c t o r s , th a ti n d i c a t e d th a ts h e d i d n o ts u f f e rf r o m a debi l i t at i ng m edi cal condi t i on, and Leech’ s tr eat i ng phy s i ci an opi ned thats he w as “ce r t ai nl y ” abl e t o per form l i ghts edent aryw or k. Fur therm or e, the s t at e age ncy p h y sic ian , w h o is c o n sid e re d a h ig h lyq u a lifie d e x p e rt in S o c ial S e c u rityD isa b ili ty E v a lu a tio n s , 2 0 C .F .R . § 4 0 4 .1 5 2 7 (f )( 2 )( I) , o p in e d th a t L e e c h c o u ld p e rf o rm lig h t w o rk . M or eover , L eec h t es t i fi ed thats he ca r ed forherow n dai l yneeds , s uch as cooki ng, cl eani ng, and w al ki ng herthr ee dogs . She al s o t ook comput erand l anguage cl as s es d u r i n g h e ra l l e g e d p e r i o d o f d i s a b i l i ty. T h e A L J’s d e ter m in a tio n th a t L e e c h re tain s re sid u a l f u n c tio n a l ca p a c ityis a c c o rd in g ly su p p o rt e d b ys u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . 2 . Ab i l i t y t o P e r f

o r m J o b s t h a t Ex i s t i n t h e Na t i o n a l Ec o n o my T he C om m i s s i oner ’ s fi ndi ng thatL eec h coul d per form j obs thatexi s ti n s i gni fi cant n u m b e rs in th e n a tio n a l ec o n o m yw a s s im ilarlyw e ll-fo u n d e d . T h e S o c ial S e c u rity r egul at i ons pr ovi de that , w her e a c l ai m antcan pe r form ei therl i ghtors edent aryw or k, but m us tal t ernat e per i ods of s i t t i ng and s t andi ng, “a V S ( vocat i onal s peci al i s t ) s houl d be cons ul t ed t o cl ar i fythe i m pl i cat i ons forthe occ upat i onal bas e. ” See 2 0 C .F .R . § 404. 1566( e) . I n t hi s cas e, a voca t i onal expertt es t i fi ed, w i thoutqual i fi cat i on, thatL eec h w oul d be abl e t o per form a s i gni fi cantnum berof l i ghtj obs w i th a s i t/ s t and opt i on and thats uch j obs exi s tw i thi n t he nat i onal economy . T he V E ’ s unqual i fi ed, uncontr adi ct ed6

te s tim o n yp ro v id e d s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e f o r t h e A L J ’s h o ld in g . 3 . S u b jec ti v e S y m p tom s a n d C re d ibil it y L eec h’ s fi nal ar gum ent , thatthe A L J err ed i n i nj ect i ng per s onal bi as i nt o her c re d ib ili tyd e ter m in a tio n re g a rd in g L e e c h ’s s u b jec tiv e c o m p lain ts o f

p a in a n d d isa b ili ty a n d , th u s , d e p ri v e d h e r o f a f a irh e a ri n g , la c k s m e ri t. T he A L J pr ovi ded Leech a ful l and fa i rhear i ng and i m part i al l ycons i der ed al l of the evi dence befor e s he det erm i ned thatL eec h’ s s ubj ect i ve compl ai nt s of pai n w er e not ful l ycr edi bl e. T he A L J bas ed herdet erm i nat i on on the l ack of s uppor ti n the obj ect i ve m edi cal r ecor ds , i ncons i s t enci es betw een Leec h’ s t es t i m onyand the doct or s ’ r eport s , and L eec h’ s otherpos s i bl e mot i vat i ons forembel l i s hi ng hercompl ai nt s . A l though L eec h compl ai ned of de bi l i t at i ng pai n, ther e i s cons i der abl e evi dence i n the r ecor d, i ncl udi ng t he opi ni ons of s ever al of Leech’ s doct or s , thats he di d nots uffe rfr om anydebi l i t at i ng m e d ica l co n d iti o n s. T h e su b sta n tial in c o n sis ten c ies b e tw e e n h e r su b jec tiv e c o m p lain ts a n d th e m e d ic a l e v id e n c e u n d e rm in e h e r c re d ib ility. See B urns v. B arnh art , 312 F. 3d 113, 130- 31 ( 3d C i r . 2002) ( hol di ng thatthe A L J m ayr ej ectt es t i m onyof s ubj ect i ve compl ai nt s w her e i ti s notcons i s t entw i th m edi cal evi dence ) . M or eover , i tw as not im p rop er f

o r th e A L J to c o n side r L ee ch ’s fina n cial i n terest i n h er o n g o ing w o rke r’s compensa t i on cl ai m and under l y i ng Soci al Secur i tydi s abi l i tybenef i t s cl ai m and her p o s s ib le a d d ic tio n w h e n m a k in g th e c re d ib ility d e te rm in a tio n . See G addis v. Heckl er , 76 F. 3d 893, 896 ( 8 t h C i r . 1996) ( aff i r m i ng an A L J ’ s det erm i nat i on thata “s tr ong el ement7

o f s e c o n d a ry g a in ” d im in is h e d th e c re d ib ility o f th e c la im a n t’ s o b

je c tiv e c o m p la in ts ). T hus , s ubs t ant i al evi dence s uppor t s the A L J ’ s cr edi bi l i tydet erm i nat i on. I I I . C oncl usi on F o r th e f o re g o in g re a so n s, w e w ill a f f irm th e o rd e r o f

th e D istric t C o u rt.