Source: http://al.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20150324_0000307.NAL.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2017-02-19 14:23:13
Document Index: 187869734

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 405', '§ 404', '§ 404', '§ 404', '§ 416', '§ 404', '§ 416']

| Kimbrell v. Colvin
Kimbrell v. Colvin
MARY A. KIMBRELL, Plaintiff,v.CAROLYN W. COLVIN, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant.
Plaintiff Mary A. Kimbrell brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), seeking review of the final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security denying her application for supplemental security income ["SSI"]. Upon review of the record, the submissions of the parties, and the relevant law, the court is of the opinion that the Commissioner's decision is due to be affirmed.
On February 23, 2010, plaintiff filed an application for SSI, alleging a disability onset date of January 1, 1997, which plaintiff later amended to February 16, 2010. (R. 166, 183.)[1] This application was denied on July 27, 2010 by the Social Security Administration ["SSA"], (R. 98), and plaintiff subsequently requested a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge ["ALJ"], which was held on December 8, 2011, (R. 62). After the hearing, the ALJ found that plaintiff was capable of making a vocational adjustment to other occupations, such as maid/cleaner, hand packer, and laundry worker, which are jobs that exist in significant numbers in Alabama and in the national economy. (R. 48-49.) In light of these findings, the ALJ denied plaintiff's request for SSI on December 28, 2011. (R. 49.)
Plaintiff petitioned the Appeals Council to review the ALJ's decision, and on May 11, 2013, the Appeals Council denied plaintiff's request for review, thereby rendering the ALJ's decision the final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security. (R. 1.) Following denial of review by the Appeals Council, plaintiff filed an appeal in this court on August 16, 2013. (Doc. 1.)
The ALJ found that plaintiff had not engaged in substantial gainful activity since February 16, 2010, the alleged onset date. (R. 36.) While the ALJ noted that plaintiff previously and currently worked up to twenty hours a week as a home health provider, the ALJ found that plaintiff's work activity did not rise to the level of substantial gainful activity, considering plaintiff's posted earnings and the record as a whole. (Id. )
The ALJ found that plaintiff had severe impairments of "osteoarthritis, diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, panic disorder with agoraphobia, and obesity." (R. 36.)
If the claimant has a severe impairment, the Commissioner must then determine whether the claimant's impairment meets the duration requirement and whether it is equivalent to any one of the listed impairments. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(a)(4)(iii), (d)-(e); § 404.1525; § 404.1526. Listed impairments are so severe that they prevent an individual from performing substantial gainful activity. 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(a)(4)(iii), (d)-(e); see 20 C.F.R. pt. 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 [The Listings]. If the claimant's impairment meets or equals a Listing, the Commissioner must find the claimant disabled, regardless of the claimant's age, education, and work experience. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(d); § 416.920(d). The claimant has the burden of proving that her impairment meets or equals the criteria contained in one of the Listings. Reynolds-Buckley, 457 Fed.App'x. at 863.
The ALJ found that plaintiff did not have an impairment or combination of impairments that met or ...