Court Opinion

ID: 9472365
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 03:58:14.547427+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:42:53.891235
License: Public Domain

GODBOLD, Chief Judge,
dissenting:
I would reverse and remand to the Secretary.
In my view, the administrative law judge’s finding that Watson could return to work as a collator is not supported by substantial evidence. In their Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) questionnaires, Drs. Horn, Yelton, and Gray all noted restrictions on pushing and pulling movements; Dr. Horn and Dr. Yelton found restrictions on gross manipulation and Dr. Gray on fine manipulations. Furthermore, the administrative law judge himself found restrictions against “performing pushing and pulling movements and gross manipulation.” 1 Such restrictions are inconsistent with a finding that Watson could return to work as a collator. Watson described her job as:
We laid papers around a table, a table like this, and you know, like you would lay number 2 sheet down, 2, 3, 4, you know, until you got on up maybe to a hundred; and you walked around the table and you picked it up, you know, like this (indicating) ... one on top of the other, and you stapled those into books, made books.2
The Department of Labor describes the position of collator similarly. See Department of Labor, Dictionary of Occupational Titles § 977.687-010 (4th ed. 1977). Because all three RFCs in the record, as well as the administrative law judge’s own finding of restrictions, indicate that Watson could not return to her past work as a collator,3 the administrative law judge’s contrary conclusion is not supported by substantial evidence and should be reversed.

. Record on Appeal Vol. 2 at 24-25.

. Record on Appeal Vol. 2 at 43.

. In his examination, Dr. Fambrough found that "[t]he fingers have a full range of motion at this time.” 2 ROA at 196. While such a statement could arguably support a finding that Watson had no restrictions, the administrative law judge’s contrary finding indicates that he did not rely on Dr. Fambrough’s comment when he concluded Watson could return to her work as a collator.