Opinion ID: 1302959
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Wildman's Credibility

Text: Wildman testified before the ALJ that she suffers from various ailments including depression, shoulder pain, liver problems, and monthly pancreatitis flares that keep her off her feet for up to a week at a time. She claimed that due to her ailments, she could only walk less than a block, stand thirty minutes before resting, sit for an hour, and lift a gallon of milk. However, after considering and weighing the medical evidence in the record, the ALJ concluded that Wildman's allegations regarding her limitations were not fully credible. To support this determination, the ALJ emphasized Wildman's noncompliance with her prescribed diet and medications, her failure to totally abstain from drugs and alcohol, and her sporadic work history prior to her alleged onset date. Although Wildman does not challenge the ALJ's determination that she has a sporadic work history, she argues that the ALJ erred when he discounted Wildman's testimony regarding her limitations due to her noncompliance. We disagree. In analyzing a claimant's subjective complaints, such as pain, an ALJ must consider: (1) the claimant's daily activities; (2) the duration, frequency, and intensity of the condition; (3) dosage, effectiveness, and side effects of medication; (4) precipitating and aggravating factors; and (5) functional restrictions. Gowell v. Apfel, 242 F.3d 793, 796 (8th Cir.2001). Other factors also include the claimant's relevant work history and the absence of objective medical evidence to support the complaints. Id. (quotation omitted). The above factors are derived from our decision in Polaski v. Heckler, 739 F.2d 1320, 1322 (8th Cir.1984). While ALJs must acknowledge and consider these so-called Polaski factors before discounting a claimant's subjective complaints, we have held that ALJs need not explicitly discuss each Polaski factor. Goff, 421 F.3d at 791 (quotation omitted). ALJs may discount claimants' complaints if there are inconsistencies in the record as a whole, and [w]e will defer to an ALJ's credibility finding as long as the ALJ explicitly discredits a claimant's testimony and gives a good reason for doing so. Schultz v. Astrue, 479 F.3d 979, 983 (8th Cir.2007) (internal quotation omitted). Here, the ALJ properly cited and considered the Polaski factors, and explicitly discredited Wildman's credibility. Moreover, substantial evidence in the record as a whole supports the ALJ's determinations that Wildman had a sporadic work history before her disability onset date and that Wildman was noncompliant with her doctor's instructions to take her medications, follow her diet, and totally abstain from drugs and alcohol. These are valid reasons for discrediting Wildman's subjective complaints. See Bradley v. Astrue, 528 F.3d 1113, 1115 (8th Cir.2008). Therefore, we defer to the ALJ's adverse credibility determination because it is supported by substantial evidence.