Source: http://openjurist.org/324/f3d/981/fastner-v-b-barnhart
Timestamp: 2014-09-01 08:09:08
Document Index: 651880457

Matched Legal Cases: ['art\n324', 'art 324', '§ 423', '§ 1382', 'art, 275', '§ 423', '§ 1382', '§ 423', '§ 404']

324 F3d 981 Fastner v. B Barnhart | OpenJurist
324 F. 3d 981 - Fastner v. B Barnhart	Home324 f3d 981 fastner v. b barnhart
324 F3d 981 Fastner v. B Barnhart 324 F.3d 981
John T. FASTNER, Appellant,v.Jo Anne B. BARNHART, Commissioner of Social Security, Appellee.
Ethel Schaen, argued, St. Paul, MN (Roylene Champeaux, Asst. U.S. Atty., on the brief), for appellant.
John L. Martin, argued, Chicago, IL, for appellee.
Before MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, MAGILL, and BYE, Circuit Judges.
John T. Fastner appeals the order of the district court1 affirming the Commissioner of Social Security's ("Commissioner") denial of Fastner's application for Disability Insurance Benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 423 (2000), and Supplemental Security Income Benefits under the Title XVI of the Social Security Act, id. § 1382. On December 15, 1998, Fastner applied for benefits alleging disability from June 10, 1998, onward. Fastner claimed disabling conditions resulting from a closed head injury he suffered when, in September 1993, he was hit over the head with a tire iron, including seizures, dizziness, lack of coordination, lack of depth perception, numbness in his limbs, short and long term memory loss, loss of concentration, poor strength on his right side, depression, and personality changes. After Fastner's applications were denied initially and upon reconsideration, he requested a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge ("ALJ"). The ALJ found that Fastner was not disabled within the meaning of the Social Security Act and thus was not entitled to benefits. The Appeals Council of the Social Security Administration denied Fastner's request for review, and the ALJ's decision became the final decision of the Commissioner. The district court affirmed the Commissioner's denial of Fastner's application for benefits. For the following reasons, we affirm.
"We review de novo a district court's decision upholding the denial of social security benefits." Lauer v. Apfel, 245 F.3d 700, 702 (8th Cir.2001). We review the Commissioner's decision to determine whether it is supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. Estes v. Barnhart, 275 F.3d 722, 724 (8th Cir.2002) (citation omitted). "Substantial evidence is less than a preponderance, but enough so that a reasonable mind might find it adequate to support the conclusion." Johnson v. Apfel, 240 F.3d 1145, 1147 (8th Cir.2001). We may not substitute our judgment for that of the ALJ. See id.
Title II of the Social Security Act provides for payment of insurance benefits to persons who suffer from physical or mental disability. 42 U.S.C. § 423. Title XVI of the Social Security Act provides for payment of disability benefits to indigent persons. Id. § 1382. The Social Security Act defines "disability," in relevant part, as the "inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which ... has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months...." Id. §§ 423(d), 416(i). A claimant has the burden of establishing that she is entitled to disability benefits by proving the existence of a disability. Roth v. Shalala, 45 F.3d 279, 282 (8th Cir.1995) (citing Locher v. Sullivan, 968 F.2d 725, 727 (8th Cir.1992)). Social security regulations provide a five-step sequential evaluation for determining whether a claimant is disabled. See 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520, 416.920 (2002); see also Bowen v. Yuckert, 482 U.S. 137, 140-42, 107 S.Ct. 2287, 96 L.Ed.2d 119 (1987).
Step one asks whether the claimant is engaged in "substantial gainful activity." 20 C.F