Opinion ID: 204142
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dr. Hryniewich's opinions

Text: Richards complains that the district court did not give any weight to Dr. Hryniewich's opinions. Since we are reviewing the administrator's decision, we construe this argument as though it were directed at Prudential. Regardless, Richards' complaint about the alleged exclusion of Dr. Hryniewich's records falls short of the mark. For example, he argues that reference to Hryniewich's notes were absent from Dr. Brachman's 2001 report. Our review of the nearly 1,000-page administrative record suggests otherwise. Dr. Brachman's report explicitly mentions review of records from Richards' visits to the Fallon Clinic in Massachusetts. Included among these records were office notes from several visits with Dr. Hryniewich in 1997, 1999 and 2000 as well as Attending Physician's Statements from 1997 and 1999 in which Dr. Hryniewich informed Prudential of Richards' fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and stated that Richards' ability to perform work duties was unknown. Moreover, as previously noted, Dr. Hryniewich's 2006 conclusion that Richards was disabled from any work was addressed by Dr. Howard during the final level of appeal. A broader reading of Richards' argument suggests that his actual grievance is that Dr. Hryniewich's conclusions should have been given controlling weight, especially when compared to the doctors who reviewed Richards' record without examining him. This argument is contrary to existing law, as the opinion of the claimant's treating physician, which was considered, is not entitled to special deference. Orndorf, 404 F.3d at 526 (citing Black & Decker Disability Plan v. Nord, 538 U.S. 822, 831, 123 S.Ct. 1965, 155 L.Ed.2d 1034 (2003)). [9] In the final analysis, Dr. Hryniewich's opinions provide a shaky foundation for Richards' claim. First, his descriptions in 1997 and 1999 of Richards' employment prospects as unknown is at odds with his later pronouncements that Richards was disabled from any employment. Similarly, office notes from 2001 and 2005 contain no reference to disability from fibromyalgia. Against this backdrop, we reject Richards' arguments regarding the adequacy of the weight given to Dr. Hryniewich's opinions.