FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT A ug. 20, 2008 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ 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

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________________________ D . C . D o ck etN o . 0 6 -0 1 7 6 5 -C V -O R L -G JK A N G E L A W I L K I N S O N , 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 , D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lle e .

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_________________________ ( A u gu s t 20, 2008) B efo re B IR C H , D U B IN A an dC A RN E S , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: T hi s i s A nge l aW i l ki ns on’ s appe a l f r om the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s j udgm e nt a f f i rm i ng the A dm i ni s tr a t i ve L a w Judge ’ s de ni a l of he rappl i c a t i on f

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s u p p l e m e n t a l s e c u r i tyi n c o m e u n d e r4 2 U. S . C . § 1 3 8 3 ( c ) ( 3 ) . Wi l k i n s o n r a i s e s two i ssu es. F i rs t , W i l ki nson cont ends thatthe A L J i m prop er l y w ei gh ed the m edi ca l opi ni ons pr e s e nt e d. S he a r gue s tha tthe A L Jdi s c ount e d the opi ni ons of e xa m i ni ng phy s i c i a ns , i nc l udi ng tw o s pe c i a l i s t s , i n f avorof the opi ni on of

anon- e xa m i ni ng, n o n - s p e c ia lis t s ta te a g e n c yp h y s ic ia n . T he A L Jdi d note rri n a s s i gni ng m i ni m a l w e i ghtt o the m e di c a l opi ni on of the e xa m i ni ng phy s i c i a ns s upport i ng W i l ki ns on’ s c l a i m of di s abi l i tybe c aus e he f ound, a f t e rr e vi e w i ng the e nt i r e r e c or d, tha tthe i ropi ni ons w e r e nots upport e d by the e vi de nc e . S e e S ry oc k v. H e c kl e r , 764 F . 2d 834, 835 ( 11th C i r . 1985) ( “ [ T ] he A L J i s free t o rej ectth e o p i n i o n o f an y p h ysi ci an w h en th e ev i d en ce su p p o rt s a c o n tr a ryc o n c lu s io n .” ( q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n dc ita tio n o m itte d ) ) ; s e e a ls o 2 0 C .F .R . § 4 0 4 . 1 5 2 7 (b ) (“ [T h e A L J] w i l l al w ays co n si d er th e m ed i cal o p i n i o n s i n [th e] case r e c o r dto g e th e rw ith th e r e s t o f th e r e le v a n t e v id e n c e . . . r e c e iv e [ d ].” ) . T he A L Jdi d notgi ve undue w e i ghtt o the opi ni on of the non- e xa m i ni ng st at e a gency physi ci an because he di d n otre l y s ol el y on thatop i ni on . S ee B roug ht on v. H ec kl er , 77 6 F . 2d 96 0, 96 2 (11 th C i r. 19 85 ) ( ho l di ng that“ t aken al on e” the op i ni on s of non -e xam i ni ng ph ys i ci ans “ do no tconst i tut e s ub st ant i al e vi de nc e on w hi c h t o ba s e a n a dm i ni s tr a t i ve de c i s i on” ) . T he A L Jc ons i de r e d the3

o p i n i o n s o f o th er treat i n g , ex am i n i n g , an dn o n -ex am i n i n g p h ysi ci an s; r e h ab i l i t a t i o n d i s c h a r g e n o t e s i n d i c a t i n g i m p r o v e m e n t ; a n dWi l k i n s o n ’ s o wn di sabi l i ty r eport s and t es t i m on y. T he re cord supp ort s the A L J’ s f i nd i ng that W i l k i n s o n h a dth e r e s i d u a l f u n c t i o n a l c ap a c i tyt o p e r f o rm l i g h two rk . Th e ALJ w as no tre qu i re d t o l i sti n d et ai l every bi tof evi dence he re l i ed on t o rea ch that deci si on . S ee D ye r v. B arnh art , 39 5 F . 3d 12 06 , 12 10 (11th C i r. 20 05 ) ( st at i ng that

“ the r e i s no r i gi d r e qui r e m e nttha tthe A L Js pe c i f i c a l l yr e f e rt o e ve rypi e c e of e v id e n c e in h is d e c is io n ” ) . S e c o n d , W ilk in s o n c o n te n d s th a t th e A L Jim p r o p e r lyap p lie dth e p a in s t a nda r d i n e va l ua t i ng he rt e s t i m onyabouthe rs ubj e c t i ve c om pl a i nt s of pa i n. T he A L J f ou nd that , al tho ug h W i l ki nson had m edi ca l l y det erm i nabl e and se vere c ondi t i ons tha tc aus e d he rs om e f unc t i ona l l i m i t a t i ons , he rs t a t e m e nt s aboutthe in te n s ity , d u r a tio n , a n dlim itin g e f f e c ts o f h e rs y m p to m s w e r e n o t e n tir e lyc r e d ib le . S ub st ant i al evi dence i n the re cord supp ort s the A L J’ s f i nd i ng s. T he A L J observed tha tW i l ki ns on’ s t e s t i m onyaboutthe e xt e ntof he rl i m i t a t i ons w a s i nc ons i s t e nt w i th m ed i cal ev i d en ce an dd i sab i l i ty rep o rt s reg ard i n g h er d ai l y act i v i t i es. T h u s, the A L Ja rt i c ul a t e d e xpl i c i ta nd a de qua t e r e a s ons f orhi s f i ndi ngs . S e e M oor e v. B arnh art , 40 5 F . 3d 12 08 , 12 12 (11th C i r. 20 05 ) ( “ [C ] re di bi l i ty det erm i nat i on s are th e p r o v in c e o f

th e A L J .” ) ; s e e a ls o W ils o n v . B a rn h a rt, 2 8 4 F .3 d1 2 1 9 , 1 2 2 6 ( 1 1 th4

C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) ( h o ld in g th a t f in d in g s s u c h a s e f

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tr e a tm e n t, ab ilityto p er fo rm d aily ac ti v it ies, an dli m it ed u se o f p ain m ed icatio n ca n su p p o rt an A L J’s deci si on t o d i sc re di tsubj ec t i ve t es t i m on y) . A FFI R M ED .