Court Opinion

ID: 9489446
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 13:16:10.964307+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:53:32.351464
License: Public Domain

HEANEY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
It strains the imagination to believe that this 5'10", 52-year-old male who weighs at least 279 pounds is able to perform all the duties of his past work as a janitor or a security guard on a full-time basis in the competitive workplace. Not only is Roe obese, he suffers from a combination of the following physical and mental impairments: bronchial asthma; painful degenerative changes of the knees and feet; hypertension; a history of conversion reaction (i.e., loss of physical functioning that suggests a physical disorder but is actually an expression of psychological conflict or need); medically determinable disorders resulting in complaints of multiple joint pain; developmental dyslexia and low-average intelligence (i.e., word identification skills at beginning sixth-grade level, spelling skills at the fourth-grade level, and arithmetic skills at the fifth-grade level); a history of bipolar affective disorder; an inability to hold ideas in his mind; deficiencies of concentration, persistence, or pace resulting in failure to complete tasks in a timely manner; and a history of deterioration or decompensation episodes in work or work-like settings, which causes him to withdraw from that situation or to experience exacerbated signs or symptoms. I believe Roe is disabled and entitled to benefits unless the Secretary demonstrates that he can perform other available work. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.
This case has been before two administrative law judges, first in June 1992 and then two years later in June 1994. The first ALJ found that Roe could not return to his past relevant work. Admin. Tr. at 557.1 The *679second ALJ, on substantially the same evidence, found that Roe could return to his past relevant work as a janitor or security guard. The second ALJ offers no explanation for this inconsistency.
The second ALJ fails to give adequate weight to the fact that, although Roe worked as a janitor and a security guard during 1990, 1991, and 1992, he only worked part time and his wife helped him on the janitorial jobs.2 In 1990, Roe only earned $2,906; in 1991 only $1,341; and in 1992 only $221. Admin. Tr. 664. As noted by the second ALJ, none of his work after the onset of his disability constituted substantial gainful activity under social security regulations. Id. at 16; see also 20 C.F.R. § 404.1574(b)(2)(vii) (earnings of more than $500 a month in a calendar year after 1989 constitute substantial gainful activity). Moreover, Roe had to quit his part-time jobs because he was unable to handle the stress.
Based on the vocational expert’s testimony, the ALJ determined that Roe could return to his past relevant work as either a janitor or a security guard as those jobs are set out in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (“DOT”), published by the United States Department of Labor. Admin. Tr. at 25, 28; DOT 381.687-014 at 282 (janitor) (4th ed. Rev.1991); id. 372.667-034 at 269 (security guard).3 That determination is not supported *680by substantial evidence. Roe cannot perform the full range of duties required by those jobs in a competitive economy. The position of a janitor is classified as heavy work. DOT 381.687-014 at 282.4 Heavy work entails “exerting 60 to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 25 to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or 10 to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects.” Id. at 1012-13 (App. C). Moreover, while a security guard job requires only light exertion, the job requires reasoning, developmental, and language skills beyond Roe’s intellectual capacity. Id. 372.667-034 at 269. To do the work of a security guard, Roe would need to “[a]p-ply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form” and to “[djeal with problems involving several concrete variables in or from standardized situations.” Id. at 1011 (App. C). Moreover, Roe, with his dyslexia and limited academic abilities, lacks the reading and writing skills required for the job. Id.5
The majority relies on the opinions of Dr. Timothy Murphy and Dr. Nils Varney to support its view that there is substantial evidence to find Roe was “quite capable of performing a past relevant job.” Maj. Op., supra at 677. Dr. Murphy offered only a general assessment of Roe’s abilities in 1991; he was not told what skills were required for any specific job and certainly expressed no opinion as to whether Roe could perform all the required duties of a janitor or security guard on a full-time basis in a competitive economy. Moreover, Dr. Varney’s full written assessment of Roe casts doubt on his ability to return to his former jobs:
In addition to his other physical and psychiatric problems, this man is quite badly dyslexic (i.e., he is essentially functionally illiterate) with reading and spelling at grade school levels. He also has word finding problems, making employment in any area making demands on language skills difficult. That is, he could not work in a job with written instructions (at least reliably) or reliance on recording verbal or numeric material. In addition, his problems with word finding give the impression (including to his psychiatrist here) that he is very dull.
*681Opinions expressed above regarding interactions with others and ability to follow directions, etc., are based on observation of his conduct during testing and interview.
Admin. Tr. at 604. Again, Dr. Varney expresses no opinion as to Roe’s ability to perform either job on a full-time basis, nor were his observations included in the hypothetical posed to the second vocational expert.
The majority places great reliance on Roe’s actual activities. It states that Roe has worked at a lumber yard and at a machine tool company since August 2, 1989, the date of his declared disability. The record indicates that Roe worked part-time at the machine tool company for three months in 1990 and worked at the lumber yard for only two weeks during the same year. Admin. Tr. at 200-01. In any event, the ALJ found that Roe had not engaged in substantia] gainful activity at any time pertinent to the decision. Admin. Tr. at 16. Moreover, whether Roe worked at these jobs is irrelevant. No expert testified that Roe could return to either of these jobs and the ALJ does not suggest that he could. Finally, the majority emphasizes that Roe currently performs housework, yard work, and woodworking at his home. This court has repeatedly stated that a person’s ability to engage in personal activities such as cooking, cleaning, and hobbies does not constitute substantial evidence that he or she has the functional capacity to engage in substantial gainful activity. Hogg v. Shalala, 45 F.3d 276, 278 (8th Cir.1995); Harris v. Secretary of DHHS, 959 F.2d 723, 726 (8th Cir.1992); Thomas v. Sullivan, 876 F.2d 666, 669 (8th Cir.1989) (“We remind the Secretary that to find a claimant has the residual functional capacity to perform a certain type of work, the claimant must have the ability to perform the requisite acts day in and day out, in the sometimes competitive and stressful conditions in which real people work in the real world.”)
In my opinion, the record establishes that Roe is significantly impaired and that his residual functional capacity does not permit him to meet the demands of his past relevant work. Unless the Secretary demonstrates that Roe can perform other available work despite his impairments, he is entitled to benefits.

. The vocational expert called in the first hearing looked at the same regulation and essentially the same factual record. She testified that Roe could not perform any of his past relevant work:
Q Okay. In your opinion, with those limitations could Mr. Roe do any of his past work as he did it or as it is normally performed in the national economy?
A No, sir.
Q Can you highlight the grounds for your opinion, the basis for your opinion?
A Yes, sir. The janitorial work would require standing more than two hours per day and one of the conditions in the hypothetical was no more standing than two hours a day.... [T]he security guard position would be, the problem again that security work is often performed out of doors and we would have exposure to humidity and temperature changes and those kinds of things out of doors. That, too, would require standing no more than two hours a day. That would preclude him from that.
Q So that as I understand your answer were I to change the limitations from what [in] essence is light lifting and carrying to sedentary it would be even more true?
A Yes, sir. It would be even more true.
Q Because as the way I see. Okay.
*679A The hypothetical that you posed, the lifting restrictions are similar to a light occupation. The standing of no more than two hours would require me to choose occupations in the sedentary level.
Q I see. All right. Now, assume the same limitations and again, yes. Assume the same limitations. In your opinion, with those limitations could the claimant possess any transferable skills?
A No, sir. Not with these limitations. There would be no jobs that he could really use in his transferable skills.
Admin. Tr. at 157-58. Based on this testimony, the ALJ concluded:
Given the totality of [Roe’s] episodic but nevertheless functional limitations, the vocational expert convincingly testified that claimant would be prevented from returning to his past relevant work.
Admin. Tr. at 557. In light of this determination, the burden in the first proceeding shifted to the Secretaiy to show that there were other jobs existing in sufficient numbers in the national economy that Roe could perform given his impairments, functional limitations, age, education, and work experience. Id.

. Roe worked as a full-time night watchman from September 1985 to Februaiy 1986. Admin. Tr. at 203. In addition, he worked full-time as a janitor for a ten-month period in 1986 and 1987. Id. 202. Subsequent to the August 2, 1989 onset of his disability, however, Roe worked only sporadically. He did part-time work as janitor in 1991 and 1992; his wife helped him perform the work. Id. at 67, 68. Later, from March 1993 until March 1994, Roe worked between five and ten hours per week as a janitor. Id. at 206.

. The AU noted the specific jobs to which Roe could return by their designation in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. The DOT characterizes the duties of a janitor as follows:
381.687-014 CLEANER, COMMERCIAL OR INSTITUTIONAL (any industry) alternate ti-ties: clean-up worker; housekeeper; janitor; laborer, building maintenance; mopper; porter; scrubber; sweeper
Keeps premises of office building, apartment house, or other commercial or institutional building in clean and orderly condition: Cleans and polishes lighting fixtures, marble surfaces, and trim, and performs duties described in CLEANER (any industry) I Master Title. [See below.] May cut and trim grass, and shovel snow, using power equipment or handtools. May deliver messages. May transport small equipment or tools between departments. May setup tables and chairs in auditorium or hall.
Master Title CLEANER I (any industry)
Maintains premises of commercial, institutional, or industrial establishments, office buildings, hotels and motels, apartment houses, retirement homes, nursing-homes, hospitals, schools, or similar establishments in clean and orderly condition, performing the following duties: Cleans rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, rest rooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, and locker rooms and other work areas. Sweeps, scrubs, waxes, and polishes floors, using brooms and mops and powered scrubbing and waxing machines. Cleans rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaner. Dusts furniture and equipment. Polishes metalwork, such as fixtures and fittings. Washes walls, ceiling, and woodwork. Washes windows, door panels, and sills. Empties wastebaskets, and empties and cleans ashtrays. Transports trash and waste to disposal area. Replenishes bathroom supplies. Replaces light bulbs.
The work of a security guard is classified as follows:
372.667-034 GUARD, SECURITY (any industry) alternate titles: patrol guard; special police officer; watchguard
Guards industrial or commercial property against fire, theft, vandalism, and illegal entry, *680performing any combination of following duties: Patrols, periodically, buildings and grounds of industrial plant or commercial establishment, docks, logging camp area, or work site. Examines doors, windows, and gates to determine that they are secure. Warns violators of rule infractions, such as loitering, smoking, or carrying forbidden articles, and apprehends or expels miscreants. Inspects equipment and machinery to ascertain if tampering has occurred. Watches for and reports irregularities, such as fire hazards, leaking water pipes, and security doors left unlocked. Observes departing personnel to guard against theft of company property. Sounds alarm or calls police or fire department by telephone in case of fire or presence of unauthorized persons. Permits authorized persons to enter property. May register at watch stations to record time of inspection trips. May record data, such as property damage, unusual occurrences, and malfunctioning of machinery or equipment, for use of supervisory staff. May perform janitorial duties and set thermostatic controls to maintain specified temperature in buildings or cold storage rooms. May tend furnace or boiler. May be deputized to arrest trespassers. May regulate vehicle and pedestrian traffic at plant entrance to maintain orderly flow. May patrol site with guard dog on leash. May watch for fires and be designated Fire Patroller (logging).

. The ALJ’s contradictory statement that "a janitor (DOT # 372.667-034) [is] an unskilled job which the claimant performs at the light exer-tional level,” [Admin. Tr. at 25, 26] is simply erroneous.

. The job requires level 2 language development skills on the Scale of General Educational Development (GED). Those skills are comprised of the following:
Reading:
Passive vocabulary of 5,000-6,000 words. Read at rate of 190-215 words per minute. Read adventure stories and comic books, looking up unfamiliar words in dictionary for meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. Read instructions for assembling model cars and airplanes.
Writing:
Write compound and complex sentences, using cursive style, proper end punctuation, and employing adjectives and adverbs.
Speaking:
Speak clearly and distinctly with appropriate pauses and emphasis, correct pronunciation, variations in word order, using present, perfect, and future tenses.
DOT at 1011 (App. C).