Opinion ID: 420970
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Availability of Other Work.

Text: 40 The ALJ's third error involves his reliance on deficient vocational expert testimony with respect to the availability of jobs in the national economy which the claimant could perform. The ALJ recognized that expert testimony was required since O'Leary has been precluded from performing the full range of sedentary work activity, based upon the functional and physical restrictions set forth in the medical evidence. There is also evidence that O'Leary suffers from a significant nonexertional impairment, as she testified that she is in constant pain. Nicks v. Schweiker, supra, 696 F.2d at 636; Tucker v. Schweiker, supra, 689 F.2d at 780. Thus, Table No. 1 in Appendix 2 of the Medical-Vocational Guidelines, which applies to claimants who can perform sedentary work activity, could not be used to meet the Secretary's burden of showing there were jobs in the national economy that O'Leary could perform. In this case, the Secretary was required to produce vocational expert testimony concerning whether there were jobs available that a person with O'Leary's particular impairments could perform. See id.; McCoy v. Schweiker, supra, 683 F.2d at 1146; Appendix 2, supra, 20 C.F.R. Sec. 201.00(h) (1982). The ALJ did receive testimony from a vocational expert on this issue, but the expert's testimony does not constitute substantial evidence, since the question which the ALJ asked the expert did not include any mention of O'Leary's pain. 41 At the first administrative hearing, the ALJ asked the vocational expert, Mr. Robert Hopkins, to assume that O'Leary's testimony concerning her limitation of motion and pain was true. The expert stated that if that were the assumption, there were no jobs that he could identify that the claimant could perform. The ALJ then asked the expert to consider only the clinical laboratory findings contained in the reports of Dr. Klein, and the expert responded that in his opinion the claimant could perform various sedentary jobs such as small parts assembler, hand packager, or labeller. 8 42 At the second hearing the ALJ asked only the following question: 43 Assume the claimant's age, education and past work experience and still assuming the medical evidence that you studied, excluding again from your consideration the opinion that the claimant can or not, can or cannot work or is or is not disabled, I'm asking you to consider only the critical laboratory findings that are in support of those diagnoses contained in those documents. And further considering the opinion that any work activity that she could engage in would be limited to work activity that would not require prolonged standing, prolonged sitting or significant amount of bending or lifting. 44 Based upon that hypothesis, do you have an opinion whether any jobs the claimant could do exist in the region or subregion of the economy in significant numbers that could be related to any of the occupations published by the Social Security Administration and that agency's regulations? 45 The vocational expert, Ms. Anita Howell, responded that there were some jobs available, such as an assembler, packager, reservations clerk, or parking lot cashier, that allowed the worker the option to sit or stand as desired, which the claimant could perform. The ALJ adopted this opinion, again emphasizing that the vocational expert considered the credible testimony in light of the pertinent medical evidence, such as Dr. O'Neil's assessment [on the physical capabilities checklist.] 46 This Court has frequently held that the hypothetical questions posed to vocational experts must precisely set out all of the claimant's impairments. E.g., McMillian v. Schweiker, supra, 697 F.2d at 219-220, 221-222; Tennant v. Schweiker, 682 F.2d 707, 711 (8th Cir.1982); Camp v. Schweiker, supra, 643 F.2d at 1333. The absence of any direct reference to the claimant's pain and the limitation concerning only the critical laboratory findings render the vocational expert's testimony of little value in this case. See Stephens v. Secretary of HEW, 603 F.2d 36, 41-42 (8th Cir.1979); Daniels v. Mathews, 567 F.2d 845, 848 (8th Cir.1977). While it is for the trier of fact to resolve conflicts of evidence, the ALJ erroneously discounted the claimant's complaints of pain based upon the pertinent medical evidence and thus erroneously excluded any mention of her pain from the hypothetical. McMillian v. Schweiker, supra, 697 F.2d at 221-222; Stone v. Harris, supra, 657 F.2d at 211. Including reference to Dr. Klein's medical opinion of the claimant's capabilities was certainly an improvement from the question Judge Denney found to be of little value after the first hearing, but the ALJ still did not precisely set out all of the claimant's disabilities in the hypothetical question. A response to a defective hypothetical question does not constitute substantial evidence. McGhee v. Harris, supra, 683 F.2d at 259; Gilliam v. Califano, supra, 620 F.2d at 693-694. 47