Fries v. Chater
| Decision Date | 29 November 1993 |
| Citation | 106 F.3d 413 |
| Parties | 97 CJ C.A.R. 186 NOTICE: Although citation of unpublished opinions remains unfavored, unpublished opinions may now be cited if the opinion has persuasive value on a material issue, and a copy is attached to the citing document or, if cited in oral argument, copies are furnished to the Court and all parties. See General Order of |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Tenth Circuit |
Before PORFILIO, BALDOCK, and HENRY, Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously to grant the parties' request for a decision on the briefs without oral argument. See Fed. R.App. P. 34(f) and 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
Claimant Thomas Fries appeals from an order of the district court affirming the final decision of the Secretary of Health and Human Services denying his applications for social security disability and supplemental security income benefits. Claimant contends that he has been disabled since January 1990 due to mental retardation and emotional problems. The administrative law judge (ALJ) denied benefits at step four of the five-part sequential process for determining disability. See 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520, 416.920. The ALJ determined that claimant had the residual functional capacity to return to his past relevant work that included jobs as a food service worker and janitor. The Appeals Council denied review, making the ALJ's determination the final decision of the Secretary. 1 We agree with the district court that ALJ did not commit any reversible error in his analysis and affirm.
We have jurisdiction under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) and 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review the Secretary's decision to determine whether it is supported by substantial evidence and whether the correct legal standards were applied. Washington v. Shalala, 37 F.3d 1437, 1439 (10th Cir.1994). The Secretary's factual findings are conclusive when supported by substantial evidence, § 405(g), which is adequate relevant evidence that a reasonable mind might accept to support a conclusion, Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401 (1971).
Claimant first contends that the ALJ erred in his step three analysis. The ALJ found that claimant was severely impaired due to borderline intellectual functioning, but that this impairment did not meet or equal the Listing of Impairments criteria covering mental retardation set forth in 20 C.F.R. § 404, Subpt. P, App. 1, § 12.05. The initial criteria for this section requires either an IQ of 59 or less, § 12.05B, or an IQ of 60 through 70 coupled with a physical or other mental impairment imposing additional significant work-related limitations, § 12.05C. The ALJ did not find that claimant suffered from any other impairments, rejecting claimant's contention that he was severely impaired due to emotional problems, and claimant does not challenge this finding. Because claimant's lowest score was a verbal IQ of 75, the ALJ concluded claimant's impairment did not meet the listing criteria. Claimant contends that the ALJ erred by failing to perform an adequate assessment of whether claimant's condition was medically equivalent to the listing criteria and that he "should have requested medical expert testimony regarding whether [his] developmental disability causes deficits in his adaptive functioning, which in turn might affect his efforts at sustained competitive employment." Appellant's Br. at 6.
We reject claimant's contention for several reasons. First, he does not explain how an IQ score fifteen points higher than the listing standard could be determined to be equivalent to that standard. See Ellison v. Sullivan, 929 F.2d 534, 536 (10th Cir.1990). Second, and more fundamentally, he misconstrues the purpose of the equivalence analysis. Whether a claimant meets or equals a listed impairment is strictly a medical determination. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1526(b), 416.926(b). It allows a "presumption of disability that makes further inquiry unnecessary." Sullivan v. Zebley, 493 U.S. 521, 532 (1990). In claiming that the ALJ should have considered at step three his "deficits in his adaptive functioning, which in turn might affect his efforts at sustained competitive employment," claimant is improperly trying to combine the functional analysis performed at subsequent steps into step three in the guise of medical equivalence. See id. at 531. ("A claimant cannot qualify for benefits under the 'equivalence' step by showing that the overall functional impact of his unlisted impairment or combination of impairments is as severe as that of a listed impairment."); see also Cockerham v. Sullivan, 895 F.2d 492, 496 (8th Cir.1990) (). Finally, § 12.05 contains its own equivalence standard where "use of standardized measures of intellectual functioning is precluded," § 12.05A. This requires a demonstration of "[m]ental incapacity evidenced by dependence upon others for personal needs (e.g., toileting, eating, dressing, or bathing)." Id. Claimant does not contend he meets this standard; indeed, the evidence clearly demonstrates that he performs far above this level.
Claimant also argues that the ALJ erred in finding that he could return to his past work. He...
To continue reading
Request your trial
-
Saiz v. Wolvin
...and any inconsistency between the two steps is not fatal to the ALJ's decision. [#19] at 18. The Commissioner cites to Fries v. Chater, 106 F.3d 413 (10th Cir. 1997), for the proposition that Ms. Saiz is improperly attempting to combine these two different analyses. The Court is unconvinced......