Opinion ID: 2747890
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The ALJ's Hearing and Decision

Text: At Ponder's request, an ALJ conducted a hearing on December 6, 2011, to address Ponder's application. Ponder, her husband, and her attorney attended the hearing, and both Ponder and her husband testified about Ponder's limitations and 2 It is unclear exactly when Ponder began using Advair or an albuterol inhaler. -5- conditions. The ALJ also called two consultative physicians as medical experts to add their views following their review of Ponder's medical record. The first medical expert, Charles Murphy, M.D., testified that he reviewed Ponder's medical records, noted her diagnoses, and heard both Ponder's and her husband's testimony before the ALJ. Dr. Murphy opined that, notwithstanding Ponder's extreme obesity and knee arthritis (which were documented before March 2010), Ponder could nevertheless perform a sedentary level of exertion as of March 31, 2010. Dr. Murphy also noted that Ponder received adequate treatment for her thyroid and sleep apnea. The second physician, Alvin Smith, M.D., likewise testified that he reviewed Ponder's mental health records and found nothing that would preclude her from performing detailed, semi-skilled work. A vocational expert (VE) also testified at the hearing after listening to the testimonies of Ponder, her husband, and the medical experts. The VE testified that a hypothetical person of Ponder's age, education, and work experience who could perform only unskilled sedentary work could do basically the full range of unskilled sedentary work, which included 120,000 jobs regionally and 1.2 million jobs nationwide. The ALJ ultimately concluded that Ponder indeed has severe impairments ([s]arcoidosis, [COPD], anemia, morbid obesity, thyroid replacement, and status post brain surgery), but that she could nevertheless perform sedentary work as of March 31, 2010. The ALJ denied Ponder's application for disability insurance benefits.