Court Opinion

ID: 9488021
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:34:07.073731+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:38.544952
License: Public Domain

McMILLIAN, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. Because I disagree with the Appeals Council’s characterization of the new evidence as “essentially the same as that contained in other reports” considered by the ALJ, I would remand this case to the Secretary for reconsideration.
In Riley v. Shalala, 18 F.3d 619, 622 (8th Cir.1994), this court held
[ojnce it is clear that the Appeals Council has considered newly submitted evidence, ... our role is limited to deciding whether the administrative law judge’s determination is supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole, including the new evidence submitted after the determination was made. See, e.g., [Nelson v. Sullivan, 966 F.2d 363, 366 (8th Cir. 1992)], and Browning v. Sullivan, 958 F.2d 817, 822 (8th Cir.1992). Of necessity, that means that we must speculate to some extent on how the administrative law judge would have weighed the newly submitted reports if they had been available for the original hearing.
The newly submitted evidence in the present case noted that Bauer had sciatic neuritis and muscle spasms, conditions which were not noted in the medical evidence before the ALJ. This evidence contradicts the ALJ’s statements that no medical report confirmed that Bauer had sciatica. The new evidence also explained that adverse reactions prevented Bauer from continuing to take his previously prescribed medication; Bauer’s failure to continue taking this medication was a factor cited by the ALJ in discounting his *920subjective complaints of pain. Moreover, I am not persuaded by the Secretary’s arguments for discounting the new evidence. First, although the additional evidence appears to have been obtained for the purpose of rebutting the ALJ’s decision, the evidence nonetheless supported Bauer’s claim of a disabling condition. Further, although the chiropractor’s medical assessment is entitled to little weight because he is not an “acceptable medical source” under 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(a), we may consider his opinion of how Bauer’s impairment affected his ability to work. See Cronkhite v. Sullivan, 935 F.2d 133, 134 (8th Cir.1991) (per curiam); 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(e). The new evidence also includes a physician’s assessment that Bauer was incapable of most activities. Because the new evidence casts sufficient doubt on some of the ALJ’s findings, I would reverse and remand to the district court with instructions to remand to the Secretary for consideration of the new evidence.