Opinion ID: 154126
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Claimant applied for both disability benefits and supplemental security income (SSI) in January of 1989, alleging disability as of July 11, 1986, because of visual impairments. At an administrative hearing on November 9, 1989, claimant, who was then fifty years old, testified that he was blind in the right eye, 1 After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34 (f) and 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. -2- had long-standing glaucoma in the left eye, suffered peripheral vision loss as a result of the glaucoma, and experienced side effects from Pilocarpine, a glaucoma medication that he used twice a day. II Appellant’s App. at 27-31. Among the side effects he mentioned were up to six or eight hours of “vertically decreased” vision, pain, headaches, nose bleeds, occasional nausea, id. at 31, and blurred vision, id. at 34-35. In a decision dated December 20, 1989, the ALJ found that although claimant had a severe visual impairment due to blindness in the right eye and glaucoma in the left, which, on or before September 30, 1987, prevented him from engaging in his past work as an engineer, the evidence also established that claimant could still perform a wide range of light work on or before that date. Id. at 13-14. He was therefore not disabled prior to September 30, 1987, and was accordingly ineligible for disability benefits. With respect to claimant’s SSI application, however, the ALJ found that claimant’s severe visual impairment, “complicated by medication side effects,” rendered him disabled as of January 10, 1989, the date he filed his SSI application. Id. at 14. 2 Claimant sought review of the ALJ’s decision that he was not disabled on or before the expiration of his insured status. Citing a December 29, 1989 report 2 Claimant’s SSI application was ultimately denied because he was found to exceed the resource limitations for eligibility. See II Appellant’s App. at 236. That decision has not been appealed. -3- by claimant’s treating physician, Dr. Robertson, to the effect that “[claimant] may not have been able to engage in any type [of] work activity prior to January 10, 1989,” the district court remanded the case “for the purpose of obtaining additional medical and vocational expert testimony regarding [claimant’s] ability to . . . work prior to January 10, 1989.” On remand and after two additional hearings, the ALJ found again, in a decision dated July 30, 1993, that claimant was not disabled at any time on or before September 30, 1987. He observed that “[t]he record contains little medical evidence which specifically sets out claimant’s functional limitations on or before September 30, 1987,” II Appellant’s App. at 178. The ALJ concluded that “[a] finding of disability, therefore . . . must be largely based on claimant’s own testimony and statements.” Id. at 182. He found the evidence “simply overwhelming against claimant on the issue of credibility,” and concluded that as of September 30, 1987, claimant had the residual functional capacity (RFC) to perform light and sedentary work that did not require bilateral visual acuity. Id. at 184-86. He further found, based on expert vocational testimony, that despite his impairments there were a significant number of light and sedentary jobs which claimant was able to perform on and before September 30, 1987. Id. at 185-86. Claimant again sought review of the ALJ’s decision. The Appeals Council denied his request. Claimant appealed and the district court affirmed the denial -4- of benefits, finding “ample evidence in the record to support the ALJ’s finding of [claimant’s] testimony not being credible.” I Appellant’s App. at 18. This appeal followed.