Opinion ID: 2978348
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The ALJ Hearing

Text: At her July 2006 hearing, in addition to testifying that she voluntarily left her job in April 2003 because of back problems which precluded her from lifting, Poe testified that she suffered difficulties and experienced pain and other symptoms associated with her neck, left shoulder, left hip, left leg, elbows, feet, hands, and fingers, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome, for which she wore splints at night. She also noted that she was taking medication for her nerves, but had stopped attending physical therapy. Poe further testified that since she stopped working, she spends her days taking care of her six-year-old daughter, including making her food, helping her get dressed, washing clothes, and grocery shopping. In addition to her own testimony, Poe presented extensive medical records which confirmed that she had carpal tunnel syndrome and mild impingement syndrome in her left shoulder, a history of right shoulder pain, a diagnosis of fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist, and a diagnosis of depression by a psychiatrist. Poe also presented a functional capacity assessment by her treating family physician, Dr. Boyd, which essentially limited Poe to less than full-time sitting or standing. In a written statement, Dr. Boyd noted that his “findings are subjective based on physical exam and interview with patient” and that “should objective findings be necessary, [I] recommend [a] work hardening evaluation.” Ultimately, the ALJ afforded Dr. Boyd’s opinion “little weight” because it was “based upon [Poe’s] subjective complaints without the benefit of objective data.” No. 08-5912 Doris A. Poe v. Commissioner of Social Security Page 7 Poe presented other evidence of functional restrictions from state agency reviewing sources. On June 8, 2003, Dr. Carlos Hernandez, a state agency medical consultant, reviewed the record and concluded that Poe could lift and carry fifty pounds occasionally, twenty-five pounds frequently, and sit, stand, and walk for up to six hours in an eight-hour work day. Dr. Hernandez also limited Poe to no more than frequent bilateral handling, and recommended that Poe avoid even moderate exposure to vibratory tools. On August 13, 2003, a second state agency medical consultant, Dr. James Ramsey, reviewed the record and reached the same conclusion as Dr. Hernandez. These findings by Dr. Hernandez and Dr. Ramsey were consistent, albeit less restrictive, than the ALJ’s ultimate finding. At Poe’s July 2006 administrative hearing, the ALJ found that Poe indeed suffered from “severe impairments,” including, “chronic neck and low back pain due to degenerative disc disease of the cervical and lumber spine with arthritis of the facet joints; mild bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome; gastroesophageal reflux disease; biliary dyskinesua; multiple arthralgias, rule out fibromyalgia; and depression.” However, the ALJ determined that although Poe had “severe impairments,” her claims regarding her limitations were “not entirely credible” and found that Poe retained the residual functional capacity to perform a significant number of jobs existing in the national economy. At the conclusion of the hearing, the ALJ asked the vocational expert to consider a hypothetical individual with the residual functional capacity attributed to Poe in the ALJ’s decision. Specifically, the ALJ asked the vocational expert whether a person of Poe’s No. 08-5912 Doris A. Poe v. Commissioner of Social Security Page 8 age, education, and work experience could perform jobs if she were capable of either light or sedentary exertion, and also had the following non-exertional restrictions: (1) could not climb ladders, ropes, or scaffolds; (2) could not work with her hands above shoulder level; (3) could occasionally flex and extend her wrists, perform occasional handling or gripping, and occasional pushing and pulling with her upper extremities; (4) could have no exposure to concentrated vibration or vibratory hand tools; (5) could occasionally bend, twist, or crawl; and (6) required simple work with repetitive procedures, no frequent changes in work routines, and no fast-paced assembly lines or rigid production schedules. The vocational expert responded that while such person could not perform any of Poe’s past relevant work, there were jobs he or she could perform – “basically entry level, low stress jobs” where there were “no frequent changes in work routine[,] [] no rigid production schedules[,] and no fast-paced assembly line work activities.” Specifically, the vocational expert testified that such an individual could perform the following occupations as defined in the DOT: (1) counter clerk (light exertion level, DOT code 249.366-010); (2) monitor (light duty job, DOT code 372.667-0402); (3) surveillance security monitor (sedentary job, DOT code 379.367-010); (4) attendant-related job (light in exertion, DOT code 349.677-018); (5) usher (light in exertion, DOT Code 344.677-014); and (6) machine tending jobs (light in exertion, DOT code 728.685-010).