Opinion ID: 2708446
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Conservative of Treatment

Text: The third ground for the ALJ’s decision was that Ms. Beardsley’s medical records, her decision not to undergo surgery, and the lack of restrictions placed on her by a treating physician showed that her knee condition was substantially under control and did not render her disabled. The ALJ’s reliance on Ms. Beardsley’s initial examination in July 2008, when her doctor saw no sign of swelling or redness, is misplaced because of the later evidence that her condition had become more painful. Nor should Ms. Beardsley be penalized by the lack of restrictions placed on her by a treating doctor because her knee was not being treated by any doctor for much of the time at issue here. Even taken together, these two factors are not sufficient to build a logical bridge that would justify discounting the opinion of the agency’s examining doctor that Ms. Beardsley was limited to sedentary work. The ALJ also erred by relying on the fact that Ms. Beardsley did not seek surgery to treat her knee. It is true that “infrequent treatment or failure to follow a treatment plan can support an adverse credibility finding where the claimant does not have a good reason for the failure or infrequency of treatment.” Craft v. Astrue, 539 F.3d 668, 679 (7th Cir. 2008), citing Social Security Ruling 96–7p. But the ALJ may not draw any inferences “about a claimant’s condition from this failure unless the ALJ has explored the claimant’s explanations as to the lack of medical care.” Craft, 539 F.3d at 679; SSR 96-7p. The ALJ here made no evident attempt to determine why Ms. Beardsley elected not to have expensive and invasive surgery on her knee and instead opted for the injections. He 12 No. 13-3609 relied entirely on two notes from her treating physician suggesting that Ms. Beardsley was not bothered enough by her symptoms to seek surgery. But the ALJ overlooked the fact that Ms. Beardsley then returned to her doctor one year after the injury, complaining that the pain had significantly worsened and that she was ready to reconsider the operation. The record also reveals that Ms. Beardsley was uninsured and uncertain how surgery could be paid for. The failure to explore this evidence was a legal error. Social Security Ruling 96-7p instructs that an ALJ “must not draw any inferences” against claimant for lack of treatment without inquiring into factors such as the claimant’s ability to pay and whether she has structured daily activities “so as to minimize symptoms to a tolerable level.” The ALJ did not do that in this case, so the fact that Ms. Beardsley decided not to have surgery was not a sufficient basis to discount Dr. Banyash’s opinion. In short, the finding that Ms. Beardsley maintained the capacity to perform a range of light work on a full-time basis, including standing and walking for most of the workday, cannot be upheld for the reasons given in the ALJ’s decision. Whether considered individually or collectively, Ms. Beardsley’s descriptions of her day-to-day routine, the opinion of Dr. Brill, and her supposedly conservative treatment were not enough to support a logical bridge from the evidence to the ALJ’s conclusion. The judgment is REVERSED and the case is REMANDED to the Commissioner for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.