FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P E A LS E LE V EN T HC IRC U IT JULY 3, 2007 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. 06- 16058 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 05 -000 70 -C V -C D L -3 J O H N G A R R E T T , P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s M I C H A E L J . A S T R U E , C o m m is s io n e ro f

S o c ia l S e c u r ity , 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 o rth e M id d le D is tr ic t o f G e o r g ia

_________________________ ( Ju l y 3, 2007) B efo re A N D E R S O N , B A R K E T T an d P R Y O R , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: J ohn G a rr e ttappe a l s the j udgm e ntof the di s tr i c tc our ttha ta f f i r m e d the2

d e n ia l o f G a rr e tt’s ap p lic a tio n f

o rs u p p le m e n ta l s e c u r ity in c o m e b e n e f its . G a rr e tt ar gu es thatthe adm i ni stra t i ve l aw j ud ge erre d w hen h e r ej ec t ed G arre tt ’ s I Q sc ore, f a i l e d t o f ol l ow the s e que nt i a l e va l ua t i on of di s a bi l i ty , a nd f

a i l e d t o i nvoke the re bu tt abl e pre sum pt i on thatan IQ sc ore r epre se nt s acl ai m ant ’ s l i fe l on g i nt el l ec tual c ap a c ity , a s e x p lic a te d in H o d g e s v . B a rn h a r t, 2 7 6 F .3 d 1 2 6 5 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 1 ) . B e c a us e the de ni a l of

G a rr e tt ’ s s uppl e m e nt a l s e c ur i ty i nc om e w a s s uppor t e d by s u b s t a n t i a l e v i d e n c e a n d th e A LJ ap p l i e d th e c o rr e c tl e g a l s t a n d a r d s , w e a f f i r m. W e r e vi e w a s oc i a l s e c ur i ty appe a l t o de t e r m i ne w he the rthe de c i s i on of the A L J i s s up po rt ed by subst ant i al evi dence and w hether the A L J app l i ed the corre ct l e ga l s t a nda r ds . S e e 42 U . S . C . § 405( g) ; C r a w f or d v. C om m ’ rof

S oc . S e c . , 363 F . 3d 11 55 , 11 58 (11t h C i r. 20 04 ). S ub st ant i al evi dence i s “ such re l evantevi dence as the re as on abl e m i nd m i gh tac ce ptas adequat e t o sup po rta c on cl usi on . ” W al den v. S c hw e i ke r , 672 F . 2d 835, 838 ( 11th C i r . 1982) . W e r e vi e w de novo the de c i s i on of the di s tr i c tc our tr e ga r di ng w he the rs ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s uppor t s the f i ndi ngs of th e A L J . W ils o n v . B a rn h a r t, 2 8 4 F .3 d 1 2 1 9 , 1 2 2 1 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) . B e c a us e the A L J di d notr e j e c tG a rr e tt ’ s I Q s c or e , G a rr e tt ’ s f i r s ta r gum e nt fa il s. T h e A L J r ec o g n ized th at G ar re tt ’s IQ sc o re w as lo w , b u t fo u n d th at G ar re tt ’s i m pai rm ent s di d n otm ee tany c on di t i on i n the l i st i ng ca t egory f or m ent al r e t a r d a t i o n . 2 0 C. F. R. p t . 4 0 4 , s u b p t . p , ap p . 1 , § 1 2 . 0 5 . Sp e c i f i c a l l y , th e ALJ3

f o u n d th a t G a rr e tt d id n o t h a v e th e r e q u ir e d d e f ic its in a d ap tiv e f

u n c tio n in g . G arre ttcont ends thatthe A L J e rr on eousl y e val uat ed G arre tt ’ s a l l eged di s a bi l i ty w he n the A L J c ons i de r e d w he the rG a rr e ttw a s c apa bl e of pe r f or m i ng w or k he ha d done i n the pa s t . T he A L J w a s r e qui r e d t o f ol l ow f i ve s e que nt i a l s t e ps i n the eval uat i on of G arre tt , se e 20 C . F . R . § 4 04 . 15 20 (a )( 4), bu tG arre ttar gu es that th e A L J e rr o n e o u s ly s k ip p e d s te p th r e e o f th a t e v a lu a tio n . G a rr e tt’s a r g u m e n t f a ils . T he r e c or d e s t a bl i s he s tha tthe A L J di d notom i ta ny s t e ps i n hi s e va l ua t i on of G a rr e tt ’ s a l l e ge d di s a bi l i ty . T he A L J c ons i de r e d G a rr e tt ’ s w or k hi s t or y a nd abi l i ty t o p er form pastw ork, fa ct ors c on si dere d d uri ng st ep four of the se qu ence , on l y a ft erthe A L J had deci ded t hatG arre ttdi d n otqu al i fy as di sabl ed un der s t ep three . C on tra ry t o G arre tt ’ s a rgum ent , the A L J c orre ct l y f ol l ow ed the se qu ent i al p r o c e s s . G arre ttar gu es thatthe A L J e rr ed w hen h e f ai l ed t o em pl oy the H od ges p r e s u m p tio n th a t a n I Q s c o r e r e p r e s e n ts a c la im a n t’s lif e lo n g in te lle c tu a l c ap a c ity . H odge s , 276 F . 3d a t1268- 1269. I tw a s note rr orf orthe A L J nott o m e nt i on the H od ges pre sum pt i on because the A L J di d n otchal l enge thatG arre tt ’ s l ow IQ b e g a n b e f

o r e a g e tw e n ty - tw o . S ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e s uppor t s the de ni a l by the A L J of G a rr e tt ’ s c l a i m f

or soci al se curi ty di sabi l i ty benef i t s. T he re cord supp ort s the fi nd i ng by the A L J that4

th e r eq u ired li m it atio n s to ad ap ti v e f u n ctio n in g w er e n o t p re se n t, d es p it e G ar re tt ’s l ow IQ sc ore. G arre tti s abl e t o coo k si m pl e m ea l s; perf orm chores such as di shw as hi ng and yar d w ork; and b ui l d m od el ca rs . G arre tt ’ s dai l y a ct i vi t i es i nc l ude c hur c h a tt e nda nc e , t e l e vi s i on vi e w i ng, c a r d pl a y i ng, a nd w a l ki ng i n the m a l l . G a rr e tta l s o t e s t i f i e d tha t , w i th or i e nt a t i on a nd i ns truc t i on, he be l i e ve d he c o u ld r e tu rn to a jo b a s a s to c k a s s is ta n t. T h e ju d g m e n t o f

th e d is tr ic t c o u r t is AF F I RME D.