Opinion ID: 2978672
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Subaverage intellectual functioning

Text: Hayes argues that her poor academic record demonstrates that she has subaverage intellectually functioning. Hayes’s school records, on which she relies, however, do not necessarily show that she had intellectual deficiencies. Instead, the records support the conclusion that she had -6- No. 09-5409 Lisa D. Hayes v. Commissioner of Social Security poor school attendance and a troubled home life. Hayes was absent and missed a great deal of school during the years when she did not pass. In contrast, when she attended class, she achieved passing marks. For example, she was retained in the first grade after attending only thirty-three days of school but earned grades of B, C, and D in the eighth grade when she attended 177 days of school. Further, Hayes has admitted to past drug abuse, which, as the ALJ acknowledged, might have undermined her academic performance. Finally, none of her school records mention mental retardation or intellectual deficiencies. Hayes also argues that her work history shows that she has subaverage intellectual functioning, but the record is mixed on this point. First, her own responses and explanations for why she left past employment are inconsistent. For example, in agency forms, she indicated that she stopped working because of her poor physical health and because she needed to care for her husband. Before the ALJ, however, she testified that she stopped working because of her poor health but also testified that she was fired from her last job as a cashier because she did not stock the shelves correctly, could not run the cash register without mistakes, and was too slow. Moreover, no evidence, beyond her own testimony, supports her assertion that she could not succeed at these jobs due to mental impairment. Additionally, the ALJ considered Hayes’s employment record, which includes cashier positions, and concluded that she has had mentally challenging jobs. Hayes responds by claiming that her work history is consistent with “mild mental retardation” because “individuals with mild mental retardation ‘usually achieve social and vocational skills adequate for minimum self-support, but may need supervision, guidance, and assistance . . . [and] appropriate supports.”’ (Hayes Br. 12-13 (quoting Am. Psychiatric Ass’n, Diagnostic and Statistical -7- No. 09-5409 Lisa D. Hayes v. Commissioner of Social Security Manual of Mental Disorders Text Revision, § 317 (4th ed. 2000) (“DSM-IV-TR”)).) But Hayes has offered no evidence that she needed “supervision, guidance, and assistance,” or “appropriate supports.” Finally, therapists and psychologists have been treating Hayes for depression for nearly a decade, and at no point have they indicated that Hayes has limited intellectual functioning. Cf. Cooper v. Comm’r of Soc. Sec., 217 F. App’x 450, 452 (6th Cir. 2007) (“It is undisputed that no psychologist has diagnosed [claimant] with mental retardation.”). Hayes responds that her treatment center, the Helen Ross McNabb Center, does not perform IQ testing. But that misses the point. Her mental health records undermine her argument that she has intellectual deficiencies because the psychiatric evaluations demonstrate that she has clear, logical thinking. In sum, the record to support her claim that she might suffer subaverage intellectual functioning is slight and, without more, Hayes cannot show that the ALJ abused his discretion.