Opinion ID: 3178944
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Opinion of Whitton’s Consulting Psychologist

Text: Whitton asserts that the ALJ improperly substituted his own opinion for the opinion of Whitton’s consulting psychologist, Dr. Wilson. The record includes a November 2012 psychological evaluation from Dr. Wilson, in which he diagnosed Whitton with major depressive disorder, recurrent panic disorder, and borderline intellectual functioning. Moreover, in a January 2013 mental health source statement, Dr. Wilson opined that Whitton had marked and extreme limitations in almost all areas of functioning. However, he further opined that she was only mildly or moderately limited in (1) the ability to 10 Case: 15-12357 Date Filed: 02/12/2016 Page: 11 of 12 understand, remember, and carry out short, simple instructions, and (2) the ability to ask simple questions and request assistance. The ALJ gave no weight to Dr. Wilson’s opinion, concluding that his examination and opinion occurred after Whitton’s date last insured. Additionally, the ALJ noted that Dr. Wilson’s opinion was inconsistent with his own examination of Whitton and was not supported by other evidence in the record. Similar to the ALJ’s rejection of Dr. Grant’s opinion, we conclude that the ALJ did not substitute his own opinion for Dr. Wilson’s because substantial evidence supports the ALJ’s articulation of good cause for assigning no weight to that opinion. As the ALJ correctly stated, Dr. Wilson’s psychological evaluation and mental health source statement, which were dated November 2012 and January 2013, respectively, were rendered after Whitton’s date last insured, and did not address the severity of Whitton’s conditions during the relevant time period. 42 U.S.C. § 423(a)(1)(A), (c)(1); Moore, 405 F.3d at 1211. More importantly, Dr. Wilson’s opinion was inconsistent with his own examination of Whitton. Following his examination, Dr. Wilson diagnosed Whitton with borderline intellectual functioning and ultimately concluded that Whitton had significant medical problems that would cause difficulty in a work environment. Yet, he stated in the psychological evaluation that Whitton reported that she had done “excellent” in school, but had dropped out in the 10th grade because she got 11 Case: 15-12357 Date Filed: 02/12/2016 Page: 12 of 12 married. Moreover, despite not obtaining a GED, Whitton received a degree in Office Business Education from the USA Training Academy in Hoover and “graduated at the top of the class.” As if that were not enough, Whitton was an office manager for approximately eight years, six of which were at a security firm. Likewise, in the January 2013 mental health source statement, he opined that Whitton was markedly limited in the ability to understand and remember detailed instructions and extremely limited in almost all areas of sustained concentration and persistence. However, in his evaluation of Whitton, he concluded that she had good mental control, attention, and concentration, as well as an adequate short term memory. Because Dr. Wilson’s examination of Whitton was clearly at odds with his ultimate findings and conclusions, substantial evidence supported the ALJ’s decision to give it no weight. See Crawford, 363 F.3d at 1159 (concluding that substantial evidence supported the ALJ’s rejection of treating physician’s medical opinion in part because it was inconsistent with physician’s own treatment notes).