Opinion ID: 3039874
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The First Benefits Application

Text: A resident of Jersey City, Ruiz first applied for benefits in 1999, claiming total disability as of September 30, 1998. Ruiz had been employed in a factory (R. at 273), and also “worked for years picking fruit and tomatoes on farms.” Id. at 20. Ruiz based his first application on allegations of back and ankle pain, left-eye blindness, and a skin disorder. In evaluating that application, the ALJ conducted a hearing and followed the required five-step process. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520. The ALJ first determined that Ruiz had not been employed since September 30, 1998. (R. at 18.) The ALJ described Ruiz’s physical abilities: [Ruiz] engages in a variety of daily activities, which are not typically performed by a person who is too disabled to work. He reported that he cooks, cleans and takes out the garbage. He reported that he does not do household repairs because he is not required to do so and he does not garden because he has no garden, but he does take walks. He testified that he walks to the store to shop. He watches television up to eight hours per day, an activity that requires extensive visual acuity, visits relatives and attends church. He is also able to obtain money orders to pay his bills. Id. at 21. -4- The ALJ also reviewed considerable medical evidence. Although Ruiz’s treating physician, Dr. Purisima, stated in a letter that Ruiz was “totally and permanently disabled,” the ALJ explained that he accorded that opinion “no significant weight” because it was contradicted by the doctor’s “own objective findings.” Id. at 19; see also Frankenfield v. Bowen, 861 F.2d 405, 408 (3d Cir. 1988) (“medical judgment of a treating physician can be rejected only on the basis of contradictory medical evidence”); 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1527(e), 416.927(e); SSR 96-5p. The ALJ also considered the reports of examining physicians Jasbreet Kaur, M.D., L. Vasallo, M.D., Richard Witlin, M.D., and Bernard Sarn, M.D. (R. at 18-21.) The ALJ thus observed that although Ruiz’s “impairments . . . more-than-minimally restrict his capacity to perform basic work activities,” the evidence did not establish that Ruiz “suffers from an impairment or combination of impairments which meets or equals the level of severity of any impairment described in 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1, incorporated by 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1525 and 416.925 [“the Listings”].” Id. at 18-19. The ALJ fully considered several factors -- including Ruiz’s daily activities, his work record and his efforts to work -- and concluded that Ruiz’s subjective allegations regarding his symptoms and limitations were not fully credible. Id. at 20-21. That credibility assessment as well as medical and related evidence figured in the ALJ’s determination respecting Ruiz’s residual functional capacity (“RFC”): After carefully weighing expert medical and other expert opinions regarding [Ruiz’s RFC], as well as [Ruiz’s] testimony -5- and the evidence of record, I find that [Ruiz] has had, at all material times, the [RFC] . . . for work involving lifting, and carrying objects weighing up to 20 pounds; frequently lifting and carrying objects weighing up to 10 pounds; standing, walking, and sitting up to six hours in an eight-hour day; pushing and pulling arm and leg controls; and light work not involving exposure to heights or dangerous machinery, and not otherwise requiring binocular vision. Id. at 21-22. Significantly, there was no suggestion made before the ALJ that Ruiz suffered from any mental impairment. On the contrary, Dr. Kaur’s report stated that Ruiz was “attentive, cooperative with intact memory and judgment, able to ambulate without any difficulty.” Id. at 273. Finally, after considering all the medical evidence, the testimony of the vocational expert, and Ruiz’s age, poor education, inability to read English, and his lack of skills, the ALJ found that Ruiz could no longer perform his past relevant work. The ALJ also found, however, that there were a significant number of jobs that Ruiz could perform: In the region of Hudson, Essex, Union, Morris, and Bergen Counties, such jobs include a hardware assembler, who puts large pieces of hardware together; a folder, who folds textiles; a bagger, who places garments or other items into plastic bags; a packer, who places various goods into boxes or containers; a final assembler, who puts final touches on a product, like putting tags on it; a heat sealing machine operator, who basically places packages into a conveyor for sealing tops. These are unskilled light jobs. In the stated counties, there are about 1,300 such jobs. -6- Id. at 22. The ALJ also determined that even if Ruiz could perform only sedentary work, his RFC still qualified him to perform 18-20,000 sedentary, unskilled jobs in the New York/New Jersey area. Id. at 22-23. Accordingly, the ALJ concluded “ that [Ruiz] has not been disabled within the meaning of the Social Security Act . . . .” Id. at 23. On July 25, 2002, Ruiz filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, claiming that the ALJ’s decision was not supported by substantial evidence. On April 27, 2004, the District Court affirmed the ALJ’s decision, and Ruiz appealed to this Court.