2005 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 7-15-2005 

# Rob e r t s v . C omm S o c i al S ec urity 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 . 04-3647

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w . vi l l a nova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " Ro be r ts v . C omm S oc i al S e c ur ity " (2005). 2005 D e cisio n s . P ape r 837. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2005/837J udge N y gaar d as s um ed Seni orJ udge s t atus on J ul y9, 2005. 1 NOT 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

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T hi s i s an appe al byJ eanni e M . R ober t s fr om t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s aff i r m ance of the d e c isio n o f

th e C o m m iss io n e r o f

S o c ial S e c u rityd e n y in g d isa b ili tyin su ra n c e b e n e f its ( D I B ) and s uppl ement al s ecur i t yi ncome ( SSI) . T he ques t i on befor e us i s w hether s ubs t ant i al evi dence s uppor t s t he C om m i s s i oner ’ s fi nal deci s i on t hatR ober t s w as not di s abl ed undert he Soci al Secur i t yA ct . W e af fi r m havi ng concl uded thats ubs t ant i al evi dence s uppor t s t he dec i s i on. B eca us e the part i es ar e fa m i l i arw i t h t he bac kgr ound fact s and p rocedu ral his t ory , w e setforth o nlyt ho se fact s necessaryt o o ur anal y si s. R ober t s s uffe r ed fr om a r i ghts houl deri m pai r m ent , cervi cal di s c di s eas e and d e p re ss io n . T h e A d m in istra tiv e L a w Ju d g e (“ A L J” ) d e ter m in e d th a t th o se im p a irm e n ts do no tmee tormedi c a l l ye qu a l a l i s t e d i mpai r ment , 20 C. F. R. Pa r t40 4, Sub pa r tP, A ppendi x 1, Par tA . T he A L J det erm i ned thatal t hough R ober t s ’ s i m pai r m entpr event ed herfr om per form i ng herpas tr el evantw or k as a pac kerorj ani t or , R ober t s r et ai ned r es i dual funct i onal capa ci t yt o per for m a l i m i t ed r ange of l i ghtdut yw or k, w hi ch di d not i nvol ve per form i ng r epet i t i ve t as ks w i t h herr i ghtupperextr emi t y , overhead w or k and w hi ch w as cons i s t entw i t h herm i l d t o m oder at e l i m i t at i ons i n conce nt r at i on and att ent i on due t o herdepr es s i on. B eca us e R ober t s w as for t y - ni ne ( 49) y ear s ol d, cons t i tut i ng a y oungeri ndi vi dual , 20 C . F. R . §§ 404. 1563 and 416. 967, w i t h l i m i t ed educ at i on, an u n s k i l l e d wor k b a c k g r o u n d a n d c o u l d n o tp e r f o r m t h e f u l l r a n g e o f

l i g h twor k , t h e ALJ e n listed th e a ss ista n c e o f a v o c a tio n a l ex p e rt to c o n c lu d e th a t R o b e rts c o u ld p e rf o rm lig h t, un ski l l ed w ork as an u narm ed secu ri t ygu ard, i nspector and ga t e t end er, al l of w hich exi st3

i n s i gni fi cantnum ber s i n t he nat i onal economy . T hes e conc l us i ons ar e s uppor t ed by s ubs t ant i al evi dence . W e agr ee thatR ober t s ’ s i m pai r m ent s do notm eetanyof the Li s t i ngs , ei t her i ndi vi dual l yori n combi nat i on. W e al s o fi nd t hatdes pi t e R ober t s ’ s ar gum entt hats he w as l i m i t ed t o s edent aryw or k, t he r ecor d evi dence s ubs t ant i al l ys uppor t s t he A L J ’ s fi ndi ng t hatR ober t s coul d engage i n a w i de- r ange of l i ghtdut yw or k w i t h hercr edi bl e s ubj ect i ve compl ai nt s . T he A L J ’ s fi ndi ngs i n t hi s r egar d w er e cons i s t entw i t h t he obj ect i ve medi cal evi dence . N ordo w e fi nd m er i ti n R ober t s ’ s cont ent i on t hatt he A L J err ed i n cl as s i fy i ng her as a “y ounger ” per s on gi ven herage, for t y - ni ne ( 49) , forpurpos es of det erm i ni ng w hether th e re w e re a sig n if

ica n t n u m b e r o f

jo b s in th e n a tio n a l ec o n o m yth a t sh e c o u ld p e rf o rm in l i ghtof herw or k r es t r i ct i ons , vocat i onal fac t or s and age . “A ge” r efe r s t o chr onol ogi cal age of a cl ai m antand the ext entt o w hi ch i taff ect s the cl ai m ant ’ s abi l i t yt o adj us tt o ot her w or k. 20 C . F. R . §§ 404. 1563( a) , 416. 963( a) ( 2004) . A “y ounger ” per s on i s s om eone u n d e r f if ty (5 0 ) ye a rs o f

a g e . I d. D ur i ng t he r el evantper i od, R ober t s w as underfi fty( 50) y ear s of age and w as notw i t hi n a fe w day s orm ont hs of herfi ft i eth bi r t hdayt o pr ovi de herw i t h t he bene fi tof a “ bor der l i ne” a ge det erm i nat i on under20 C . F. R . § 404. 1563( b) as a n in d iv id u a l c lo s e ly ap p ro a c h in g a d v a n c e d a g e . See 2 0 C . F . R . § § 4 0 4 . 1 5 6 3 (d), 4 1 6 .9 6 3 (d ) (2 0 0 4 ) (d e f

in in g “ p e rso n c lo se lya p p ro a c h in g a d v a n c e d a g e ” a s o n e w h o is age f i fty( 50) t o fi fty - four( 54) y ear s ol d) . N ori s t her e anyauthor i t yext endi ng t he4

b e n e f its o f a “ b o rd e rlin e ” a g e d e ter m in a tio n to p e rso n s lik e R o b e rts w h o a re w ith in fi ve ( 5) t o s i x ( 6) m ont hs of thei rfi ft i eth bi r t hday . I n anyevent , s ubs t ant i al evi dence , inclu d ing the u n ref

u ted e v iden ce p rov ided b ythe v o ca ti o n al ex p ert, su p p o rt s the A L J’s concl us i on t hatR ober t s ’ s age w as nota fa ct ors i gni fi cant l yl i m i t i ng hervocat i onal a d a p t a b i l i t y. H avi ng cons i der ed the cont ent i ons r ai s ed byt he part i es and conc l udi ng t hatno fur t herdi s cus s i on i s r equi r ed, w e w i l l aff i r m t he j udgm entof the D i s t r i ctC our tt hat s ubs t ant i al evi dence s uppor t s t he C om m i s s i oner ’ s concl us i on t hatR ober t s w as not d isa b led w ith in th e m e a n in g o f th e S o c ial S e c u rityA c t.