Opinion ID: 485333
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidence of RFC for a Full Range of Light Work.

Text: 17 Implicit in the challenge to the substantiality of the evidence is the fact that federal court review of the Secretary's factual findings with respect to disability is limited to a review of whether substantial evidence supports the Secretary's findings. See 42 U.S.C. Sec. 405(g). The term substantial evidence has been interpreted by the United States Supreme Court to require more than a mere scintilla. It means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion. Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401, 91 S.Ct. 1420, 1427, 28 L.Ed.2d 842 (1971) (quoting Consolidated Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229, 59 S.Ct. 206, 216, 83 L.Ed. 126 (1938)). However, the search for adequate evidence does not allow us to weigh the evidence and substitute our discretion for that of the agency. Cagle v. Califano, 638 F.2d 219 (10th Cir.1981). Nonetheless, we must review the record as a whole, and the substantiality of the evidence must take into account whatever in the record fairly detracts from its weight. Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, 340 U.S. 474, 488, 71 S.Ct. 456, 464, 95 L.Ed. 456 (1951). 18 The ALJ appears to view the claimant's heart, lung, and liver impairments as insignificant limitations on his ability to perform light work because, among other things, he found that the claimant's testimony was not wholly credible and ... somewhat probably exaggerated. R. Vol. II at 17. We acknowledge that it is not our job to make an independent judgment as to the credibility of the claimant's testimony regarding his subjective physical symptoms. [T]he determination of credibility is left to the observations made by the Administrative Law Judge as the trier of fact. Broadbent v. Harris, 698 F.2d 407, 413 (10th Cir.1983). We note, however, that the ALJ gave no particular reasons for discounting the claimant's credibility except to observe that his blackouts had occurred when no witnesses were present. Therefore, we feel free to view the ALJ's conclusion with a skeptical eye. Id. at 414. Additionally, we do not question the ALJ's inference that the claimant himself showed that he thought he was able to work by applying for rehabilitation training--training which was denied because of his impairments, using different criteria for disability than the SSA criteria. The ALJ uses the inference as to the claimant's own belief, however, as support for the finding that the claimant's respiratory impairments imposed only an insignificant environmental restriction on his ability to work. While the ALJ has the discretion to make the initial inference, we note that, logically, the inference does not dictate the conclusion that the claimant thought he could work at a full range of light activity rather than a limited range of light or sedentary activity. 19 The ALJ attempted to buttress his finding of insignificant environmental restrictions by concluding that the claimant's combined impairments had not prevented him from doing light and sedentary work on a regular and continued basis after October 10, 1981. R. Vol. II at 17. Light work is defined in the Social Security regulations as work that: 20 involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing, or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. To be considered capable of performing a full or wide range of light work, you must have the ability to do substantially all of these activities. 21 20 C.F.R. Sec. 404.1567(b) (1986) (emphasis added). 3 Sedentary work is defined as work that: 22 involves lifting no more than 10 pounds at a time and occasionally lifting or carrying articles like docket files, ledgers, and small tools. Although a sedentary job is defined as one which involves sitting, a certain amount of walking and standing is often necessary in carrying out job duties. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required occasionally and other sedentary criteria are met. 23 20 C.F.R. Sec. 404.1567(a) (1986). 24 The ALJ's conclusion that the claimant had been performing light and sedentary work on a regular and continuing basis after October 10, 1981, is highly questionable. Uncontradicted information in the record as to the claimant's activities suggests the contrary, and nowhere does the ALJ suggest that this information was discounted by him as unreliable. The record reveals that the claimant tried to do a little painting work and installation of a shower on a contractual basis, as well as to assume a traveling sales job. However, the record also indicates that he was unable to finish or keep these jobs because of his blackouts and strength limitations and that he was never paid for any of these attempts. 4 Also, the record reveals that the claimant's daily routine was extremely limited. He occasionally drove his wife three miles to the grocery store on back roads, and he tried to walk around his yard every day, but he seldom engaged in any other activity in or outside his home. He could no longer hunt or fish, and even sweeping the floor of his home tired him out, so that he was not able to help his wife with domestic chores. To call such nongainful activity regular and continuous light and sedentary work would seem to defy the record. 25 Other recent decisions by this court support the view that such limited activities in themselves do not establish that one can engage in light or sedentary work activity. In Broadbent v. Harris, 698 F.2d 407 (10th Cir.1983), a claimant had admitted working in his yard, performing a few household tasks, working on cars, and taking occasional car trips. The activities were not conducted on a regular basis, nor did they involve prolonged activity. When considered in the light of the medical testimony, they were judged to be insignificant. While such activities may be considered, along with medical testimony, in determining whether a person is entitled to disability benefits, they do not in themselves establish that a person is able to engage in substantial gainful activity. Markham v. Califano, 601 F.2d 533 (10th Cir.1979). Ability to drive an automobile, participate in some community affairs, attend school, or to do some work on an intermittent basis does not necessarily establish that a person is able to engage in a 'substantial gainful activity,' but such activities may be considered by the Secretary, along with medical testimony.... Id. at 534. Here, any reasonable reading of the record could not result in use of the claimant's limited activities to enhance any medical testimony that might support such a finding. 26 The question remains as to whether the medical testimony itself provides substantial evidence that the claimant could engage in a full range of light work. After concluding that the claimant's liver disease exacerbated the cardiovascular and pulmonary symptoms, the ALJ found nonetheless that the claimant can sit, stand, or walk six hours a day and lift and carry 10 pounds frequently and 20 pounds occasionally. R. Vol. II at 16. While the RFC evaluations made by SSA consulting Doctors Fiegel and Barnes support such a conclusion, they were not explicitly invoked by the ALJ. Furthermore, neither of these doctors examined the claimant, and their views as to the degree of impairment conflicted with one another. R. Vol. II at 112, 114. For these reasons, their reports have less credence than the contrary views of the treating physicians. See Broadbent v. Harris, 698 F.2d 407, 412 (10th Cir.1983) (opinions of physicians who have treated a patient over a period of time or who are consulted for purposes of treatment are given greater weight than are reports of physicians employed and paid by the government for the purpose of defending against a disability claim [quoting Allen v. Califano, 613 F.2d 139 (6th Cir.1980) ]. See also Whitney v. Schweiker, 695 F.2d 784, 789 (7th Cir.1982) (treating physician's report should be favored over that of consulting physician who merely reviews the records, unless treating physician is not credible). The reports of reviewing physicians are also accorded less weight than those of examining physicians. Wier ex rel. Wier v. Heckler, 734 F.2d 955, 963 (3d Cir.1984) (opinions of doctors who have never examined patient have less probative force, as a general matter, than they would have had if they had treated or examined him). 27 The conclusion of Dr. Adair, who did examine the patient, also tends to support the ALJ's finding, although again it was not specifically invoked by the ALJ. Also, Dr. Adair only examined the claimant once, and the treating physicians' abilities to observe the claimant over a longer period of time should be given due weight when compared to speculation by a consulting physician regarding the validity of claimant's symptoms. Cf. Allen v. Weinberger, 552 F.2d 781, 786 (7th Cir.1977) (medical opinion that claimant might be able to perform light work was given little weight, since inherently speculative and physician examined patient only once). 28 In this case, the ALJ, rather than explicitly accepting the views of Doctors Adair, Fiegel, and Barnes and rejecting the views of the treating physicians and Dr. Cox, instead attempts to bolster his finding by invoking the December 12, 1983, RFC evaluation of Dr. Byrd, one of the treating physicians. The ALJ states that Dr. Byrd's evaluation was generally consistent with light work which allowed alternate sitting, standing, and walking. R. Vol. II at 16. Such a statement both mischaracterizes the evaluation and assumes that alternately sitting, standing, and walking allows one to perform a full range of light work. What Dr. Byrd's evaluation concluded was that (1) the claimant could neither sit, walk, nor stand for longer than two hours at a time for a maximum of a six-hour work day. R. Vol. II at 199. Alternate sitting, standing, or walking by implication precludes the kind of extensive sitting, standing and walking contemplated by the definition of light activity. To elaborate, being able to sit, stand, or walk alternately for only six hours collectively would seem to impose significant restrictions on ability to perform light work, since light work by definition is work that requires a good deal of walking or standing, or ... involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. 20 C.F.R. Sec. 404.1567(b). 5 It is by no means obvious that being able to walk and stand collectively for only half an eight-hour day and to sit for only two hours at a time would allow the claimant to perform substantially all of the jobs in the range of light work. Cf. Rivers v. Heckler, 577 F.Supp. 766 (S.D.N.Y.1984) (where durational capacity is no more than two hours a day for sitting, standing or walking, the claimant is not capable of light work). Furthermore, Dr. Byrd limited the claimant's combined activities to six hours out of an eight-hour day, i.e., to three-fourths of a full day's work. Being able to work less than full time would also seem to preclude the ability to perform substantially all of the jobs in the range of light work. As the court noted in McCoy v. Schweiker, 683 F.2d 1138 (8th Cir.1982): [t]he RFC that must be found if the grid is to be used, in the case of ... light work, is ... the ability to perform the requisite physical acts day in and day out, in the sometimes competitive and stressful conditions in which real people work in the real world. Id. at 1147 (footnote omitted). 29 The ALJ's invocation of Dr. Byrd's report in apparent support of the decision that the claimant could perform most jobs in the light work category will not substitute for the failure to explain what was in actuality the rejection of the views of the treating physicians and Dr. Cox. If the medical opinions of treating physicians are to be rejected, specific, legitimate reasons for so doing must be set forth. Turner v. Heckler, 754 F.2d 326 (10th Cir.1985); Byron v. Heckler, 742 F.2d 1232 (10th Cir.1984); Murray v. Heckler, 722 F.2d 499 (9th Cir.1983). Here the ALJ avoided any explanation by attempting to ignore or downplay the conflicting medical opinions. 30 In summary, rather than evaluating and rejecting the reports of the treating physicians and Dr. Cox, which essentially confirm one another, are based on objective medical evidence, and reflect observation over time, the ALJ instead mischaracterizes Dr. Byrd's evaluation. Instead of challenging the claimant's reports of his activities, the ALJ mischaracterizes their nature. What is left to support the decision that the claimant can perform light work is the ALJ's impression that the claimant exaggerated his physical symptoms. The decision is hanging on this single thread of evidence. Such a thread seems to us to constitute a mere scintilla. Our review of the record as a whole shows an absence of substantial evidence that the claimant has the exertional capacity to perform a wide range of light work. 31