Opinion ID: 747186
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Treating Physician and Treating Chiropractor Opinions

Text: 24 Walters contends that in finding him capable of performing his past relevant work, the ALJ erred in failing to accord proper deference to the opinions of [his] treating doctors--Dr. Austin and Mr. Katz. Appellant's Br. at vii. In general, the opinions of treating physicians are accorded greater weight than those of physicians who examine claimants only once. See Kirk v. Secretary of Health and Human Servs., 667 F.2d 524, 536 (6th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 957, 103 S.Ct. 2428, 77 L.Ed.2d 1315 (1983). In fact, pursuant to agency regulations, if the Commissioner finds that a treating source's opinion on the issue(s) of the nature and severity of [a claimant's] impairment(s) is well-supported by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques and is not inconsistent with the other substantial evidence in [the] case record, [the Commissioner] will give it controlling weight. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(d)(2) (1997) (entitled Evaluating medical opinions about your impairment(s) or disability.). Despite the foregoing, this court concludes that Walters's claim is without merit because in this case the ALJ was not bound to adopt the opinions of either Dr. Austin or Mr. Katz. 25 As Walters's treating physician, Dr. Austin's opinions do fall within the scope of 20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(d)(2). Dr. Austin's opinions, however, are themselves not as conclusive regarding Walters's residual functional capacity as Walters claims; Dr. Austin makes no assertion that Walters's impairments have rendered him unable to perform the functions of his past job as a press operator. Rather, Dr. Austin simply documents Walters's hypertension, back pains, and dizziness--impairments the Commissioner does not dispute. Walters himself is unable to direct this court to any portion of Dr. Austin's records which support the claim that his impairments are disabling. Even if Dr. Austin's findings of hypertension and back pains included such a diagnosis, substantial evidence to the contrary exists in the record. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(d)(2) (1997) (indicating that controlling weight is only appropriate when the medical opinion is not inconsistent with the other substantial evidence in [the] case record). In particular, Dr. Banerji notes that the hypertension was well-controlled, the dizziness was marked only when the patient was lying down, Walters had full movement of spine and 90-degrees movement in leg raising with no pain, and the back problems were not supported by any physical findings. Dr. Austin's own records report Walters's blood pressure readings to be within the normotensive range when on medication. Furthermore, any claim by Dr. Austin that Walters suffered from impairments of disabling severity would not be supported by detailed, clinical, diagnostic evidence in his reports. This would be a sufficiently valid reason not to accept the opinions of a treating medical doctor. See King v. Heckler, 742 F.2d 968, 973 (6th Cir.1984). In such circumstances, the Commissioner is not bound by the treating physician's opinions, and ... such opinions receive great weight only if they are supported by sufficient clinical findings and are consistent with the evidence. Bogle v. Sullivan, 998 F.2d 342, 347-48 (6th Cir.1993); see also Cutlip v. Secretary of Health and Human Servs., 25 F.3d 284, 287 (6th Cir.1994). 26 With regard to Mr. Katz, Walters asks this court to adopt the view that the treating chiropractor [should be] considered a treating doctor and in the absence of evidence to the contrary or a showing of nonreliability must be accorded deference pursuant to 20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(d)(2). Appellant's Br. at 12. Yet, logic and the plain language of the regulations suggest that a treating source under 20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(d)(2) must be a medical source and that a chiropractor is not a medical source. The controlling weight provision is found under a section heading that refers specifically to medical opinions, and in the regulations chiropractor opinions are not listed as one of the five types of acceptable medical sources but are instead listed under the separate heading of other [non-medical] sources. Compare 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(a) (1997) with 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(e) (1997). We, therefore, must agree with the Second Circuit's conclusion that under the current regulations, the ALJ has the discretion to determine the appropriate weight to accord a chiropractor's opinion based on all evidence in the record since a chiropractor is not a medical source. See Diaz v. Shalala, 59 F.3d 307, 313-14 (2d Cir.1995); see also Griego v. Sullivan, 940 F.2d 942, 945 (5th Cir.1991) (reading 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513 as accord[ing] less weight to chiropractors than to medical doctors). 27 Although Walters could offer Mr. Katz's opinions to help the Commissioner assess the extent to which his impairments affect his ability to work, the ALJ was not required to adopt the opinions of a treating chiropractor nor to give them controlling weight. In making an evaluation of Walters's condition, the ALJ did consider the opinions of both Dr. Austin and Mr. Katz and weighed them along with all other evidence in the record. We reject Walters's claim that the ALJ was required to accord any more deference than this.