IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS 

EASTERN DIVISION 

LINDA K.,1

Plaintiff, 

v. 

KILOLO KIJAKAZI, Acting 

Commissioner of Social Security,2

Defendant.

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No. 20 C 02732 

Magistrate Judge Beth W. Jantz 

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER 

 This action was brought under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) to review the final decision of the 

Commissioner of Social Security denying Plaintiff Linda K.’s application for Disability Insurance 

Benefits (“DIB”) and Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”). The parties have consented to the 

jurisdiction of the United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). For the reasons 

that follow, Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment [Dkt. 22, Pl.’s Mot.] is granted, and the 

Commissioner’s cross-motion for summary judgment [Dkt. 27, Def.’s Mot.] is denied. The 

Commissioner’s decision is reversed, and this matter is remanded for further proceedings 

consistent with this Memorandum Opinion and Order. 

1

 In accordance with Internal Operating Procedure 22, Privacy in Social Security Opinions, the 

Court refers to Plaintiff by her first name and the first initial of her last name. 

2

 Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 25(d), Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi has been 

substituted for her predecessor.

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BACKGROUND 

I. Procedural History 

On December 26, 2016, Plaintiff filed a claim for DIB and SSI, alleging disability since 

August 12, 2015, due to lumbar degenerative disc disease, herniated disc lumbar spine, 

fibromyalgia, migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, urological disorder, depression, and 

anxiety. [R. 117.] Plaintiff’s claim was denied initially and upon reconsideration, after which she 

timely requested a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”), which was held on 

August 22, 2018. [R. 66.] Plaintiff personally appeared and testified at the hearing and was 

represented by counsel. [R. 66.] Vocational expert (“VE”) Gary Wilhelm also testified at the 

hearing. [R. 66, 108.] On March 8, 2019, the ALJ denied Plaintiff’s claim for benefits, finding 

her not disabled under the Social Security Act. [R. 60.] The Social Security Administration 

Appeals Council then denied Plaintiff’s request for review, leaving the ALJ’s decision as the final 

decision of the Commissioner and, therefore, reviewable by the District Court under 42 U.S.C. 

§405(g). Cullinan v. Berryhill, 878 F.3d 598, 603 (7th Cir. 2017). 

II. The ALJ’s Decision 

The ALJ analyzed Plaintiff’s claim in accordance with the Social Security Administration’s 

five-step sequential evaluation process. [R. 50-51.] The ALJ found at step one that Plaintiff had 

not engaged in substantial gainful during the period from her alleged onset date of August 12, 2015 

through the date last insured of December 31, 2017. [R. 51.] At step two, the ALJ concluded that 

Plaintiff had the following severe impairments: fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, 

incomplete uterovaginal prolapse, headaches, and depression. [R. 52.] The ALJ concluded at step 

three that Plaintiff’s impairments, alone or in combination, did not meet or medically equal one of 

the Social Security Administration’s listings of impairments (a “Listing”). [R. 52-54.] Before step 

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four, the ALJ determined that Plaintiff retained the residual functional capacity (“RFC”) to 

perform sedentary work, except that Plaintiff could do occasional overhead reaching bilaterally, 

should do no climbing of ladders, ropes or scaffolds, and can do occasional ramps and stairs and 

remaining postural activities. [R. 54-58.] The ALJ further noted that Plaintiff cannot work around 

unprotected heights, and can tolerate only occasional exposure to moving mechanical parts, 

operating motor vehicles, and moderate noise. [R. 54-58.] Finally, the ALJ noted that Plaintiff 

could perform simple, routine, and repetitive tasks, make simple work-related decisions, and 

occasionally respond to coworkers and supervisors, but that Plaintiff could not interact with the 

public. [R. 54-58.] At step four, the ALJ concluded that Plaintiff would not be able to perform 

her past relevant work as a daycare director and daycare worker. [R. 58.] At step five, the ALJ 

concluded that based upon the VE’s testimony and Plaintiff’s age, education, work experience, 

and RFC, that Plaintiff could perform jobs existing in significant numbers in the national economy, 

leading to a finding that she is not disabled under the Social Security Act. [R. 60.] 

DISCUSSION 

I. Judicial Review 

 Under the Social Security Act, a person is disabled if she is unable “to engage in any 

substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment 

which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a 

continuous period of not less than 12 months.” 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(1)(A). To determine disability 

within the meaning of the Social Security Act, the ALJ conducts a five-step inquiry, asking 

whether: (1) the claimant has performed any substantial gainful activity during the period for 

which she claims disability; (2) the claimant has a severe impairment or combination of 

impairments; (3) the claimant’s impairment meets or equals any listed impairment; (4) the claimant 

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retains the RFC to perform her past relevant work; and (5) the claimant is able to perform any 

other work existing in significant numbers in the national economy. 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(a). 

“A finding of disability requires an affirmative answer at either step three or step five.” Briscoe 

ex rel. Taylor v. Barnhart, 425 F.3d 345, 352 (7th Cir. 2005). “The claimant bears the burden of 

proof at steps one through four, after which at step five the burden shifts to the Commissioner.” 

Id. 

Judicial review of the ALJ’s decision is limited to determining whether it adequately 

discusses the issues and is based upon substantial evidence and the proper legal criteria. Villano 

v. Astrue, 556 F.3d 558, 561-62 (7th Cir. 2009). “Substantial evidence” is “such relevant evidence 

as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Biestek v. Berryhill, 139 

S. Ct. 1148, 1154 (2019) (internal quotation omitted). “To determine whether substantial evidence 

exists, the court reviews the record as a whole but does not attempt to substitute its judgment for 

the ALJ’s by reweighing the evidence, resolving material conflicts, or reconsidering facts or the 

credibility of witnesses.” Beardsley v. Colvin, 758 F.3d 834, 836-37 (7th Cir. 2014). While this 

review is deferential, “it is not intended to be a rubber-stamp” on the ALJ’s decision. Stephens v. 

Berryhill, 888 F.3d 323, 327 (7th Cir. 2018). The Court will reverse the ALJ’s finding “if it is not 

supported by substantial evidence or if it is the result of an error of law.” Id., at 327. 

 The ALJ also has a basic obligation to develop a full and fair record, and to “build an 

accurate and logical bridge between the evidence and the result to afford the claimant meaningful 

judicial review of the administrative findings.” Beardsley, 758 F.3d at 837. Although the ALJ is 

not required to mention every piece of evidence in the record, the ALJ’s analysis “must provide 

some glimpse into the reasoning behind her decision to deny benefits.” Zurawski v. Halter, 245 

F.3d 881, 889 (7th Cir. 2001); accord Craft v. Astrue, 539 F.3d 668, 673 (7th Cir. 2008). The ALJ 

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“must explain [the ALJ’s] analysis of the evidence with enough detail and clarity to permit 

meaningful appellate review.” Scrogham v. Colvin, 765 F.3d 685, 695 (7th Cir. 2014) (quoting 

Briscoe, 425 F.3d at 351). 

II. Analysis 

 Plaintiff makes three arguments challenging the ALJ’s decision, including: (1) the ALJ did 

not identify an evidentiary basis for the physical RFC assessment; (2) the ALJ did not identify an 

evidentiary basis for the mental RFC assessment; and (3) the ALJ incorrectly analyzed Plaintiff’s 

alleged symptoms and limitations. After reviewing the record and the briefs submitted by the 

parties, this Court concludes that the ALJ erred in evaluating Plaintiff’s complaints of headaches 

and in accounting for Plaintiff’s headaches in the RFC, and further erred in crafting and explaining 

the mental RFC. Because these failures alone warrant remand, the Court need not reach Plaintiff’s 

additional arguments. 

A. The ALJ Erred in Evaluating Plaintiff’s Complaints of Headaches and in 

Accounting for Plaintiff’s Headaches in the RFC 

 Plaintiff testified that she had at least five incapacitating headaches per month during the 

relevant period. [R. 94-95.] The ALJ did not make a specific finding with respect to the frequency 

or severity of Plaintiff’s headaches, although the ALJ appeared to believe that Plaintiff’s headaches 

were less severe and/or less frequent than Plaintiff indicated. The ALJ erred in two distinct ways: 

by improperly evaluating the severity and frequency of Plaintiff’s headaches, as testified to by the 

Plaintiff, and by failing to adequately account for Plaintiff’s headaches in the RFC despite finding 

that Plaintiff’s headaches constituted a severe impairment. 

 First, the ALJ erred by improperly evaluating the severity and frequency of Plaintiff’s 

headaches. Indeed, most of the reasons the ALJ gave for disbelieving Plaintiff’s testimony with 

respect to her headaches were either unexplained or incorrect. The ALJ first noted that Plaintiff’s 

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“neurologists seem to have treated her headaches as a part of her fibromyalgia and proscribed [sic] 

gabapentin, psychotherapy and physical therapy rather than headache prophylaxis.” [R. 56, 58.] 

It is not clear what this conclusion by the ALJ is based on. The ALJ cites to two neurology records 

in support of that proposition, but neither supports the ALJ’s conclusions that Plaintiff’s 

neurologists treated Plaintiff’s headaches as part of Plaintiff’s fibromyalgia and declined to 

prescribe headache prophylaxis. In the first record, Plaintiff’s neurologist listed headaches 

separately from fibromyalgia in noting Plaintiff’s history of present illness, noted that Plaintiff had 

headaches two times per week for a duration of two to twelve hours, and noted gabapentin among 

Plaintiff’s medications. [R. 652.] The second record noted that Plaintiff was prescribed 

amitriptyline for headaches. [R. 1154.] In addition to these records, the ALJ recognized at other 

points that Plaintiff was prescribed Neurontin for her headaches. [R. 55-56.] Indeed, the records 

cited by the ALJ reflect treatment by neurologists specifically directed at Plaintiff’s migraine 

headaches, including prescription of headache prophylaxis (Neurontin, as the ALJ noted). [R. 55-

56; 570; 1275-76.] The record thus does not support the ALJ’s conclusion that Plaintiff’s 

neurologists “seem to have treated her headaches as a part of her fibromyalgia” and that they did 

not prescribe “headache prophylaxis.” [R. 58.] Indeed, the ALJ did not even attempt to explain 

why she did not believe that gabapentin, Neurontin, and/or amitryptline constituted “headache 

prophylaxis.” 

 The ALJ also noted that Plaintiff reported “fewer headaches over time,” [R. 58], but the 

ALJ did not include any specific conclusion about the frequency or severity of Plaintiff’s 

headaches over time, nor did the ALJ identify the records on which she based her conclusion that 

Plaintiff’s headaches became less frequent over time. In December 2017, near the date last insured, 

Plaintiff reported to her neurologist headaches of 30 minutes to two hours in length, two to three 

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times per week. [R. 991.] Although, as the ALJ noted and the Commissioner presses on appeal, 

Plaintiff denied headaches at certain appointments, “the fact that [Plaintiff] did not have a headache 

at the time of” specific doctor’s visits “is no reason to conclude anything about the frequency or 

severity of her migraines,” especially in light of “the undisputed record of years of treatment for 

migraines.” Moon v. Colvin, 763 F.3d 718, 721 (7th Cir. 2014), as amended on denial of 

reh'g (Oct. 24, 2014). In short, the ALJ did not “identify the relevant evidence and build a ‘logical 

bridge’ between the evidence” and her ultimate determination regarding Plaintiff’s alleged 

headaches. Id. The ALJ may not have been required to fully credit Plaintiff’s testimony regarding 

her headaches, but the ALJ was required to provide reasons supported by the record for rejecting 

Plaintiff’s testimony. The ALJ’s cursory discussion failed to provide reasons supported by the 

record for discounting the alleged limiting effects of Plaintiff’s headaches. 

 Second, to the extent the ALJ properly accounted for Plaintiff’s headaches, the ALJ still 

erred by employing RFC restrictions untethered to Plaintiff’s condition. At step two, the ALJ 

found that Plaintiff’s headaches constituted a severe impairment, which required the ALJ to 

account for them in the RFC. See Martinez v. Colvin, No. 14 C 2292, 2015 WL 4065032, at *7 

(N.D. Ill. July 2, 2015). (“Having found that plaintiff's headaches are a severe impairment, the ALJ 

was required to account for them in his RFC.”). The ALJ lumped Plaintiff’s headaches in with 

Plaintiff’s depression, and accounted for both by limiting Plaintiff to “simple, routine, and 

repetitive tasks, making simple work related decisions, and only occasionally responding to 

coworkers and supervisors, and no interaction with the public.” [R. 58.] But the ALJ made no 

effort to explain why—nor did the ALJ cite any records or opinions indicating that—limiting the 

complexity of Plaintiff’s work or her interactions with others would account for Plaintiff’s 

headaches. Nor is it apparent from the record why that would be the case. “Where an ALJ finds 

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that a claimant suffers headaches and those headaches constitute a medically determinable severe 

impairment, an ALJ must explain how [he] considers the severity and frequency of 

those headaches and how the fluctuating nature of headaches impacts a claimant’s ability to 

work.” See Charlene J. v. Saul, No. 17 C 2832, 2020 WL 2404874, at *2 (N.D. Ill. May 12, 2020). 

The ALJ’s failure to do so—and use of unexplained restrictions that seemingly have little 

connection to Plaintiff’s headaches—warrants remand.3

B. The ALJ Erred in Crafting the Mental RFC 

 The ALJ also erred in crafting Plaintiff’s mental RFC. At step three, the ALJ found that 

Plaintiff had moderate deficits in interacting with others and concentrating, persisting, or 

maintaining pace. [R. 53.] As noted above, to account for Plaintiff’s depression (and headaches), 

the ALJ restricted Plaintiff to “simple, routine, and repetitive tasks, making simple work related 

decisions, and only occasionally responding to coworkers and supervisors, and no interaction with 

the public.” [R. 58.] The ALJ, however, failed to adequately explain and support the mental RFC, 

with respect to both Plaintiff’s concentration, persistence, and pace and social interaction 

limitations. 

 With respect to concentration, persistence, and pace (“CPP”), the Court notes that the 

RFC’s restriction to “simple, routine, and repetitive tasks” has been roundly criticized by the 

Seventh Circuit as generally inadequate to account for moderate CPP limitations. See, e.g., 

3

 On appeal, the Commissioner does not address Plaintiff’s argument that the ALJ erred by 

employing unexplained, seemingly misdirected restrictions to account for Plaintiff’s headaches; 

instead, the Commissioner argues that the ALJ was warranted (or would have been warranted) in 

not accounting for Plaintiff’s headaches at all. The Commissioner does not address what the ALJ 

actually did—which is find that Plaintiff’s headaches constituted a severe impairment at step two, 

and then provide purportedly corresponding restrictions without any support in the record. See 

Kastner v. Astrue, 697 F.3d 642, 648 (7th Cir. 2012) (“Under the Chenery doctrine, the 

Commissioner’s lawyers cannot defend the agency’s decision on grounds that the agency itself did 

not embrace.”). 

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DeCamp v. Berryhill, 916 F.3d 671, 676 (7th Cir. 2019) (“An ALJ need not use specific 

terminology, but we have repeatedly rejected the notion that a hypothetical ... confining the 

claimant to simple, routine tasks and limited interactions with others adequately captures 

temperamental deficiencies and limitations in concentration, persistence, and pace.”) (cleaned up). 

Observing that an individual can perform simpler tasks “says nothing about whether the individual 

can do so on a sustained basis, including, for example, over the course of a standard eight-hour 

work shift.” Crump v. Saul, 932 F.3d 567, 570 (7th Cir. 2019). Nor is this a case where the ALJ 

identified a reason supported by the medical record why such a restriction accounts for Plaintiff’s 

specific CPP limitations. Cf. Jozefyk v. Berryhill, 923 F.3d 492, 498 (7th Cir. 2019) (limitation to 

routine tasks and limited interactions with others was appropriate where claimant’s “impairments 

surface only when he is with other people or in a crowd”). Indeed, the ALJ did not identify or 

explain any reason why Plaintiff’s CPP limitations would be accommodated by the restrictions 

included in the mental RFC. 

 The Commissioner defends the ALJ’s decision as justified by the opinions of two state 

psychological consultants, who noted in their narrative assessments that Plaintiff “retains the 

functional capacity to engage in simple and routine vocational activities of a 2-3 step requirement.” 

[R. 128, 145.] There are a host of problems with the Commissioner’s argument, however. 

 First, to the extent the ALJ relied on the consultants’ narrative conclusions, an ALJ’s rote 

reliance on the bottom-line conclusions of agency consultants in their narrative assessments—to 

the exclusion of limitations identified elsewhere in their assessment—is improper. DeCamp, 916 

F.3d at 676 (“But even if an ALJ may rely on a narrative explanation, the ALJ still must adequately 

account for limitations identified elsewhere in the record, including specific questions raised in 

check-box sections of standardized forms such as the PRT and MRFC forms.”). Here, the agency 

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consultants noted in the checkbox sections of their evaluations that Plaintiff had moderate 

limitations in her ability to maintain attention and concentration for extended periods and in her 

ability to complete a normal workday and workweek without interruptions from psychologically 

based symptoms, and to perform at a consistent pace without an unreasonable number and length 

of rest periods. [R. 126, 143.] “[T]he mere fact that the state psychological consultants indicated 

Plaintiff was capable of performing simple tasks does not, on its own, excuse the ALJ from 

accounting for Plaintiff's moderate limitation in concentration, persistence, and pace.” Harry P. 

v. Kijakazi, No. 19 CV 03107, 2022 WL 1541416, at *7 (N.D. Ill. May 16, 2022). Indeed, “courts 

in this Circuit have routinely rejected similar attempts by the Commissioner to save a deficient 

ALJ opinion by point[ing] to reviewing consultants’ bottom-line conclusions.” Id. (collecting 

cases); cf. Burmester v. Berryhill, 920 F.3d 507, 512 (7th Cir. 2019) (ALJ was permitted to rely 

on physician’s narrative opinion because “there was no such checkbox indicating a moderate 

limitation”). “Instead, the question to be answered in every case is whether the ALJ has adequately 

explained, with support from the medical record, how a restriction to unskilled work addresses the 

claimant’s specific concentration, persistence, or pace limitations.” Christopher G. v. Kijakazi, 

No. 19 CV 5046, 2022 WL 1989119, at *4 (N.D. Ill. June 6, 2022). The ALJ’s opinion contains 

no such explanation in this case. 

 Second, the ALJ in this case did not assign controlling or even great weight to the medical 

opinions on which the Commissioner says the ALJ relied; the ALJ assigned “some weight” to 

those opinions, [R. 57-58], but in crafting the RFC did not even specifically cite the opinions to 

which the Commissioner now points. See, e.g., Benjamin G. v. Kijakazi, No. 19 CV 04558, 2022 

WL 2208865, at *6 (N.D. Ill. June 21, 2022) (consultants’ opinions could not save RFC where 

they were assigned “little weight”). 

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 Third, even if the ALJ had clearly relied on these medical opinions in crafting her opinions, 

in this case it is also unclear that the medical consultants’ narrative sections “translated” the 

moderate limitations identified in the checkbox portion of their opinions into an RFC 

determination. See Burmester, 920 F.3d at 511 (ALJ may reasonably rely on the opinion of a 

medical expert who “translates” finding of moderate CPP restrictions “into an RFC 

determination”). The consultants concluded that Plaintiff “retains the functional capacity to 

engage in simple and routine vocational activities of a 2-3 step requirement,” but they said nothing 

about the pace at which Plaintiff could perform those tasks, or whether Plaintiff could persist in 

doing so over a long period of time. And, to the extent the consultants attempted to “translate” 

their findings of moderate limitations into an RFC, their opinions in the narrative section do not 

appear to reflect the limitations identified in the checkbox portion of their opinions. The checkbox 

portions of the consultants’ opinions note that Plaintiff has moderate limitations with respect to 

maintaining attention and concentration for extended periods, and in completing a normal workday 

and workweek without interruptions from psychologically based symptoms and performing at a 

consistent pace without an unreasonable number and length of rest periods. [R. 126, 143.] But 

the checkbox portions also note that Plaintiff is “not significantly limited” in her “ability to carry 

out detailed instructions.” [R. 126, 143.] And yet, the only limitations included in the consultants’ 

narrative section pertain to Plaintiff’s ability to carry out detailed instructions. True, a finding of 

moderate CPP limitations is not inherently inconsistent with a narrative conclusion that an 

individual is capable of performing simple, routine work, see Pavlicek v. Saul, 994 F.3d 777, 783 

(7th Cir. 2021), but in this case, the consultants’ narrative conclusions do not appear to cohere with 

or account for the specific set of moderate CPP limitations identified in the consultants’ checkbox 

evaluations. 

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 Fourth, and perhaps most fundamentally, to whatever extent the ALJ relied on the 

consultants’ opinions in crafting the mental RFC, the ALJ’s evaluation of the consultants’ opinions 

is not supported by substantial evidence. The entirety of the ALJ’s discussion of the consultants’ 

opinion was: “The State agency psychological consultants, R. Leon Jackson, PhD., and Lionel 

Hudspeth, PsyD, opined that the claimant could perform simple and routine vocational activities 

of a 2 to 3 step requirement. These opinions are given some weight, because although they are 

consistent with the evidence available at the time these opinions were offered, more recent 

evidence received at the hearing level indicated she is even more limited in her ability to socialize 

than this opinion described.” [R. 57-58.] The only reason the ALJ gave for relying on any portion 

of the consultants’ opinions is that “they are consistent with the evidence available at the time 

these opinions were offered.” But that is not a reason; it is instead “entirely unhelpful” boilerplate 

that “provides no indication of which portions of the record might actually be consistent” with the 

consultant’s opinions. Schmidt v. Colvin, 545 F. App'x 552, 557 (7th Cir. 2013). Because the ALJ 

did not provide a meaningful and supported reason why she afforded even some weight to the 

consultants’ opinions, they cannot support her RFC determination with respect to Plaintiff’s CPP 

limitations. 

 Finally, the ALJ erred in assessing Plaintiff’s social limitations. Plaintiff argues that the 

ALJ did not explain why she concluded that Plaintiff could occasionally interact with supervisors 

and coworkers, but not the general public (as opposed to including more serious limitations). And, 

indeed, the ALJ provided no explanation for the specific limitations included in her mental RFC.4

 

The Commissioner again defends the ALJ’s decision as supported by the opinions of the two 

44 The ALJ provided reasons why Plaintiff was not as socially limited as Plaintiff indicated, [R. 

53], but made no connection between the evidence she credited and her RFC. 

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agency consultants. But the ALJ specifically rejected the agency consultants’ opinions with 

respect to Plaintiff’s ability to interact with others, noting that “more recent evidence received at 

the hearing level indicated she is even more limited in her ability to socialize than” the consultants’ 

opinions described. [R. 57-58.] Ultimately, the ALJ identified no medical opinions in support of 

the social component of the mental RFC. 

 Nor is the ALJ’s opinion saved by the fact that the ALJ’s RFC was more restrictive than 

the RFC identified in the narrative section of the consultants’ opinions. This is because the ALJ 

did not ground her conclusion on any medical opinions or otherwise explain how she evaluated 

the evidence related to Plaintiff’s social functioning that arose after the consultants’ review. In 

this way, the instant case is much like Keno B. v. Kijakazi, No. 19 C 1593, 2021 WL 3290809 

(N.D. Ill. Aug. 2, 2021), in which an ALJ “found ‘a greater degree of exertional, postural, and 

environmental limitations’ based on Claimant’s testimony and potentially other evidence in the 

record that the ALJ had reviewed but that was not reviewed by the state agency doctors.” Id. at 

*3. In Keno B., the court remanded because the ALJ “did not offer any explanation how or why 

the opinions of the state agency doctors were inconsistent with the subsequent medical records 

they did not review but that the ALJ had available to h[er].” Id. So too here—the ALJ rejected 

the consultants’ opinions with respect to Plaintiff’s social functioning due to unidentified evidence 

that post-dated the consultants’ review. Indeed, there was “something in the record or testimony 

from [Plaintiff herself] that [the ALJ] felt required or justified greater functional limitations,” and 

“the Court wonders how the state agency doctors or a medical expert would have evaluated that 

evidence or testimony.” Id. ALJs are “required to rely on expert opinions instead of determining 

the significance of particular medical findings themselves.” Stage v. Colvin, 812 F.3d 1121, 1125 

(7th Cir. 2016). Here, the ALJ seemingly identified specific social restrictions on her own without 

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support from any medical opinion, based on evidence that the ALJ did not specify or explain and 

that that the agency consultants never reviewed. This too was error. 

Because the foregoing errors require remand, the Court need not evaluate the remaining 

issues identified by the Plaintiff. On remand, however, the Administration should not construe the 

Court’s silence on the remaining issues as an indication that the ALJ’s initial adjudication was 

appropriate or not with respect to those issues. 

CONCLUSION 

For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment [22] is granted, and 

the Commissioner’s motion for summary judgment [27] is denied. The Commissioner’s decision 

is reversed, and this matter is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this Memorandum 

Opinion and Order. 

SO ORDERED. 

Date: 7/6/2022 

BETH W. JANTZ 

United States Magistrate Judge 

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