Opinion ID: 785363
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Snead's Heart Condition

Text: 8 In addition to claims of mental illness, Snead presented evidence that he suffered a congestive heart failure in September, 1997 and again in February, 1998. Snead argued that the heart condition underlying these failures left him disabled, irrespective of his alcoholism. Congestive heart failure is an acute disruption of the heart's ability to deliver oxygen to the body, most commonly caused by dilated cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease in which the walls of the heart chambers stretch (dilate) to hold a greater volume of blood than normal. Jacqueline L. Longe, ed., 2 The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine 896 (2d ed., 2002). In most cases, this incurable condition worsens over time until death results. Id. at 899. Only twenty-five percent of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy live for ten years after diagnosis, and men tend to die from the condition sooner than women. Id. 9 To support his claim, Snead presented the medical records of his two hospitalizations for congestive heart failure. Snead also presented a March 3, 1998 letter from his board-certified internist, Dr. T.K. Chaudhuri, which further supported his claim. Dr. Chaudhuri explained that Snead is suffering from severe dilated cardiomyopathy [with] congestive heart failure and he is disabled from any job at this [particular] time. 10 Even though Snead's evidence showing his incurable cardiomyopathy went uncontradicted, the ALJ did not incorporate evidence of Snead's heart condition in the hypothetical posed to the VE. Cf. Frankl v. Shalala, 47 F.3d 935, 938 (8th Cir.1995) (reversing and remanding where the ALJ failed to develop medical evidence contradicting the claimant, such that the [Commissioner] could not meet her burden to demonstrate that [the claimant] was capable of performing the full range of light work.). In his decision denying benefits, the ALJ explained that Snead's acute symptoms of heart trouble disappeared rapidly after treatment in the hospital, and concluded that there is no clinical documentation to support an ongoing disability for 12 full months. Cf. 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(1)(A) (defining disability 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). The ALJ did not explicitly examine whether Snead's chronic heart condition interfered with his ability to work, or whether any such interference could be expected to last for a continuous twelve-month period. Because the ALJ did not seek further evidence on this issue, the record does not reveal how Snead's heart condition might have affected his ability to work. As we discuss below, this void in the evidence evinces a failure by the ALJ to fully and fairly develop the record.