Opinion ID: 762156
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Underlying ALJ Decision

Text: 20 Lauer suggests as an alternate ground for affirming the district court's rulings that the ALJ's decision is not supported by substantial evidence. Lauer raises five issues in support of this position, none of which would justify affirming the district court's decision. But we believe that one issue merits discussion in light of our decision to remand: that the ALJ failed to view the entire record when determining whether Lauer was disabled. 21 The ALJ determined that as of August 1992, Lauer retained a capacity to perform sedentary work with some restrictions. She chose this date based on a September 8, 1992, report which stated that Lauer was able to perform light work, and on Lauer's statement to his doctor in September 1992 that in August he had taken a trip to Mexico, which required a three-and-a-half-hour-long flight, and while there, he felt the best he had in years. The August 1992 date is crucial because Lauer ceased working on September 26, 1991. Lauer must show that he was incapacitated for at least a 12-month period to qualify for disability benefits. See 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(1)(A). If Lauer's date of attaining a functional capacity to do sedentary work is delayed by only a few weeks, he would meet the statutory time period required to support a finding of disabled. The ALJ's ruling does not discuss evidence from after September 8 suggesting that Lauer may have been unable to work until some point after October 1992. 22 Lauer's September 8, 1992, functional capacity evaluation noted his ability to do light work, but also indicated that he had back spasms with most weighted activities. On September 23, 1992, a physical therapist commented that Lauer was unable to be in any one position for more than 20-30 minutes because of back and hip pain, and that he was unable to drive. She also commented that standing activities will probably aggravate lower back & hip area. The Commissioner dismisses the therapist's report because it is not medical evidence, citing 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(a). However, another provision in this same regulation notes that reports from non-physicians are helpful when determining functional capacity. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(e). Moreover, the physical therapist's comments are consistent with a contemporaneous report by Lauer's treating physician, who noted on September 25 that Lauer obviously needs physical therapy and prescribed epidural steroid injections to control Lauer's pain. Lauer underwent a series of three injections in late September and early October. The doctor who administered the injections noted on October 10 that Lauer was quite symptomatic and dysfunctional ... [and] unable to maintain any standard level of function due to his symptoms. 23 Lauer's experiences in September and October suggest that Lauer may have had trouble working on a sustained and continuous basis full time in the fall of 1992, even though during August he had been able to do some household chores and was able to tolerate a several-hour plane flight to Mexico. An ALJ must consider all of the evidence and discuss significant evidence contrary to her ruling. See Diaz v. Chater, 55 F.3d 300, 308 (7th Cir.1995); Green v. Shalala, 51 F.3d 96, 101 (7th Cir.1995). The ALJ should consider this evidence on remand.