Opinion ID: 3013796
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Dr. Ott

Text: Beginning in June 1998, Leech saw Dr. Tim Ott as his general practitioner, primarily for his heart condition. In May 2000, Dr. Ott completed physical and mental evaluations for Leech limiting his physical capacity assessment to the relevant period. Dr. Ott determined that Leech could work where he primarily sat and occasionally lifted or carried up to 19 pounds. Dr. Ott did not limit his mental capacity assessment analysis to the period before 8 December 31, 1998, and the capacity form did not instruct him to do so. He found that Leech currently had marked difficulty asking simple questions, requesting assistance, being aware of normal hazards, traveling in unfamiliar places, and using public transportation. He found moderate limitations in Leech’s understanding, memory, sustained concentration and persistence, social interaction, and adaption abilities. 10. Vocational Evidence VE Dr. William Reed testified that Leech’s work as a parole officer was semiskilled to skilled, was transferable with “very little occupational adjustment,” and was “highly marketable.” Tr. 60. At the ALJ’s request, he considered a hypothetical person with Leech’s skills who worked primarily sitting with less than two hours of standing and walking in an eight-hour workday. Dr. Reed testified that there are a significant number of sedentary jobs existing in the national economy that this individual could do, including residence supervisor and caseworker. He testified that he could do these jobs despite a “mild” deficit in making decisions, compiling information, preparing timely reports, and reacting to a counseling situation. Tr. 66-67. Upon further questioning by Leech’s representative, when Dr. Reed assumed that this individual needed to be in a position of low stress with minimal dealing with the general public, no confrontation, and no production pace, he testified that the residency supervisor/caseworker job, as well as all other skilled work, would be precluded. 9 11. The ALJ’s Decision The ALJ made contradictory findings in this case. On the one hand, he found that “[t]he claimant would be limited to sedentary unskilled jobs.” Tr. 24-25 (emphasis added). This finding would mean that Leech could not return to his former parole officer job, which was “skilled and light in exertional requirements.” Tr. 24-25 (emphasis added). On the other hand, the ALJ found that “[t]he claimant has transferable skills from skilled work previously performed” (emphasis added) and that, as a result, he could do skilled sedentary work as, for example, a residency supervisor or caseworker. Tr. 24-26. A second contradiction in the ALJ’s decision is that he found that Leech “must avoid stress,” as Consultative Examiner Dr. Levine instructed. Tr. 25. Nonetheless, the ALJ determined that Leech could perform a residency supervisor or caseworker job, which VE Reed testified would be precluded due to stress. Tr. 26. Despite these inconsistencies, the ALJ concluded that Leech was not disabled within the relevant period.3