Court Opinion

ID: 9461639
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:20:14.015526+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:37:11.030809
License: Public Domain

BRIGHT, Circuit Judge
(dissenting):
This is a close ease for the factfinder. He is called upon to evaluate appellant’s purely subjective symptoms of acute recurring headaches and his assertion that he cannot work. Medical testimony supports his claim of inability to work, but this testimony rests solely upon his subjective complaints and not upon any organic cause.
Here, the hearing examiner (now administrative judge) weighed this evidence of inability to work against appellant’s admissions that he could drive a car, carry groceries, do some shopping, assist in the preparation of meals, and, for an hour each day, socialize with his friends at the local bar.
On this record, I would hold that the determination of the hearing examiner, as approved by the appeals council, denying the claim for disability benefits and standing as the final administrative decision in this case, rests upon substantial evidence. Where evidence of disability is highly subjective, as it is in this case, we should readily defer to the conclusions of the factfinder unless they lack support in the record. See Mark v. Celebrezze, 348 F.2d 289, 292-93 (9th Cir. 1965). The hearing examiner stands in a far better position than we do to evaluate, by viewing and hearing the claimant and other witnesses, the merit or lack of merit of a claim founded upon such evidence. Although the examiner, based upon the evidence before him, might val*428idly have drawn an inference different from that which he did, we cannot, as a reviewing court, vacate his decision only because we disagree with his inferences from the facts. Northwest Bancorporation v. Board of Governors, 303 F.2d 832, 840 (8th Cir. 1962).
In this ease, as distinguished from Yawitz v. Weinberger, 498 F.2d 956 (8th Cir. 1974), the claimant has made no effort to work, except for a few days shortly after receiving the relatively minor head injury on October 13, 1970, which allegedly produced his recurring (functional) headaches. In Yawitz, the claimant, although he had suffered migraine headaches for many years, continued to work until their increasing severity forced him to stop all gainful employment. Id. at 960 — 61. Thus, Yawitz does not compel the conclusion that the claimant in this case is also entitled to benefits.
The district court affirmed the' hearing examiner’s findings with the following observations:
The record as compiled by the hearing examiner and as expanded before the Appeals Council is comprehensive —including, in addition to medical reports and opinions, testimony and subjective evidence of pain, and work experience and history of the applicant. It is within the province of the hearing examiner to apply his experience and judgment in weighing the testimony of experts and to draw fair and reasonable conclusions from the evidence. We note also that a doctor’s conclusion that a patient is or is not “disabled” is not necessarily controlling on the Social Security Administration. See, e.g., Laws v. Celebreeze [sic], 368 F.2d 640 (4th Cir. 1966); Moon v. Richardson, 345 F.Supp. 1182 (W.D.Va.1972). Having considered the files, records, and memoranda of counsel, the Court finds that the Secretary’s decision is based on substantial evidence and is therefore conclusive.
The hearing examiner’s analysis of the evidence, in my view, demonstrates that his decision rested upon an adequate evi-dentiary basis:
“The evaluation of the medical evidence in the record should be directed primarily to determining, insofar as possible, the precise degree of function loss or restrictions that results from the claimant’s physical impairments. In other words, it is the extent of limitation of his ability to engage in physical activity, such as sitting, walking, reaching, manipulations, etcetera, that determine the true severity of his impairment, and it is only through an assessment of these capacities that a meaningful decision can be made with respect to the ability to engage in substantial gainful activity.
“The basic inquiry in this case is the severity of the condition of the claimant’s headaches under the pertinent provisions of the Social Security Act and Regulations. In determining whether his impairment has rendered him unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity, primary consideration must be given as to the severity of this impairment as evidenced by the medical facts, and by the extent of the handicap imposed upon him.
“§ 404.1502(b), Regulations No. 4; 20 CFR 404.1502(b) states, in pertinent part, that where a claimant is prevented from engaging in any substantial gainful activity by reason of a physical or mental impairment or impairments which are of such severity, i.e., result in such lack of ability to perform significant functions as moving about, handling objects, hearing, speaking, reasoning, and understanding, that he is not only unable to do his previous work or work commensurate with his previous work in amount of earnings and utilization of capacities, but cannot considering his age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the national economy, then this conclusion warrants a finding of ‘disability’ under this section.
“Section 223(d)(3) of the Social Security Act and § 404.1501(c), Regulations No. 4; 20 CFR 404.1501(c) in defining “impairment” provides that a physical or mental impairment is an impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities which *429are demonstrable by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques. The Regulation [Section 404.1501(c)] further provides that statements of the claimant, including his own description of his own impairment (symptoms) are, alone, insufficient to establish the presence of a physical or mental impairment. (Emphasis supplied)
“Medical reports indicate that claimant has no organic cause for his problem. The Hearing Examiner recognizes that the negative organic situation does not rule out a psychological condition. The medical evidence indicates that claimant has a post-traumatic disorder with headaches and that he is suffering from a post-traumatic neurosis, which was stated by Dr. Morse, Mayo Clinic, psychiatrist, who testified on behalf of claimant, to be moderate in degree and which more than likely was causing the headaches which he alleged.
“Dr. Morse, Mayo Clinic psychiatrist, examined claimant, at most for two hours, and diagnosed him as having a neurotic reaction, which was not a pure neurotic reaction, and there was some evidence of depression, pessimisim [sic], and thoughts that life was not worth living. He also noted claimant had some indication of a personality disorder. His diagnosis was post-traumatic neurosis, and that claimant’s problem could be caused by his emotional or psychological difficulties which were a result of his head injury, even though an organic cause was ruled out. He further stated claimant’s physical complaints were real and he suffered head pains which were an unconscious phenomena, more a product of anxiety, and that his economic position may be a contributing cause to his discouragement and pessimisim [sic] and a basic reason for his lack of self-esteem. He also stated that claimant was totally disabled and could not return to the type of work he was doing and would have to do something else; that his prognosis was guarded, but with treatment could be reemployed at another type of job; and with his genuine desire to return to work and receiving of professional guidance, his chances were reasonably good he could return to gainful employment. Dr. Morse, in a letter dated November 2, 1971, stated claimant had a mild to moderate depression and anxiety.
“There is no doubt that disability under the Act can result from mental, as well as-a physical impairment. Subjective symptoms of pain are a significant factor to be weighed in determining whether a ‘disability’ exists as defined in the Act. The Hearing Examiner recognizes that pain, such as that resulting from headaches, due to psychogenic factors, can be real to claimant and may be so real and severe as to result in actual disability to engage in performing substantial gainful activity. The problem which arises in this case is the difficulty of disproving by evidence a claimant’s subjective statement of inability to work because of headaches, and it is necessary to determine the truthfulness of the allegations of subjective pain.
Even considering only the claimant’s subjective headache complaints, the evidence does not establish, in the opinion of the Hearing Examiner, that his discomfort has resulted in a severe functional limitation. Despite claimant’s headaches, he has been able to continue to drive, can walk five to six blocks and back without distress, sitting doesn’t bother him so much, he can stand comfortably about an hour, and has no trouble bending or kneeling. He testified he either drives or walks five to six blocks daily to get his mail, does some shopping daily, drives 15 miles once a week to Winona, Minnesota, to do other shopping, and visits his daughter (15 miles away) about once a month. He has no difficulty with any of his extremities.
Furthermore, every day before supper, he visits a local tavern where he socializes for about an hour or more. It was on such an occasion that claimant’s ‘black eye’ incident occurred about which a Mayo Clinic neurologist reported claimant told him ‘he had become drunk one night and “got bumped” ’, and he could not remember what happened since he had been drinking heavily.
*430“Claimant’s treating neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Heise, stated on September 2, 1971, that the prescribed anal-ygesics [sic] were giving him some relief, that there was no worsening of his condition, and in his opinion, claimant did not have a true vertigo. He was also of the opinion that claimant had no restrictions and he was advised to try all types of work. Dr. Morse also was of the opinion that with guidance and treatment claimant could return to some gainful employment.
“The Hearing Examiner recognizes that the intent of the Act is to ameliorate some of the rigors of life and the Act must be liberally construed, but this does not require disability benefits must be awarded whenever there is a subjective showing one cannot work because he hurts. The Hearing Examiner has evaluated the subjective symptoms alleged by claimant with due consideration for credibility, motivation, and medical evidence of impairment and the conclusion of Dr. Morse that claimant is disabled [whose conclusion is not necessarily controlling on the Social Security Administration] and finds that claimant has failed to establish the headaches of which he complains are so disabling, or of such severity, that he has a severe functional limitation that will preclude all work activity.
“A review of the medical evidence of record shows that such data does not provide support for claimant’s complaints with regard to the severity of his impairment. The medical evidence of record does not disclose the presence of any severely unremedial disabling impairment. There are no medical findings which would establish the presence of a serious functional loss which would preclude all types of work activity.
“The mere presence of a disease or dysfunction does not automatically entitle a claimant to disability benefits. A claimant must show that the impairment is of such severity that his residual functional capacity is so limited as to continuously preclude him from engaging in any type of substantial gainful activity. Although a physical impairment may restrict or diminish a person’s work capacities, it is not necessarily true this impairment always severely limits occupational adapatability [sic] and usefulness to such a degree as to be equated to an inability to engage in substantial gainful activity.
“Claimant has not met the burden of showing that he was unable to engage in substantial gainful activity continuously from October 13, 1970, his alleged date of onset, because of anatomical, physiological, or psychological impairment which could be shown by clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques to so restrict his ability to move about, handle objects, see, hear, reason, and understand, that he could not engage in any substantial gainful activity. The preponderance of the medical evidence herein fails to establish that claimant has an impairment of sufficient severity and duration so as to constitute a ‘disability’ within the meaning of the Law during the alleged period.
“Since medical evidence in this case justifies a finding that the claimant was not under a ‘disability’ at any time when he met the earnings requirements of the Act for disability purposes, it is not necessary for the Hearing Examiner to determine what type of employment the claimant was capable of engaging in, and what employment opportunities were available for an individual with the claimant’s impairment. In other words, in this case there is no substantial, probative evidence to support a conclusion that the claimant was unable to engage in work of a substantial gainful nature at all times when he met the earnings requirements of the Act.” [Brackets and emphasis in original.]
In light of our limited review responsibilities in cases of this kind, I would affirm.