Yawitz v. Weinberger

• Decision Date: 11 June 1974
• Docket Number: No. 74-1024.,74-1024.
• Citation: 498 F.2d 956
• Parties: Marvin A. YAWITZ, Appellant, v. Caspar W. WEINBERGER, Appellee.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

498 F.2d 956 (1974)

Marvin A. YAWITZ, Appellant, v. Caspar W. WEINBERGER, Appellee.

No. 74-1024.

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

Submitted May 16, 1974.

Decided June 11, 1974.

Michael A. Gross, St. Louis, Mo., for appellant.

Jean C. Hamilton, Asst. U. S. Atty., St. Louis, Mo., for appellee.

Before BRIGHT and ROSS, Circuit Judges, and TALBOT SMITH, Senior District Judge.^*

PER CURIAM.

This is a suit under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) for disability benefits alleged to be due Marvin A. Yawitz under sections 216(i) and 223 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 416(i) and 423. The claim was refused by the Social Security Administration and after Yawitz had exhausted all of his administrative remedies, including a hearing before an administrative law judge and an adverse decision from the Appeals Council, he brought this action in district court against the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Both Yawitz and the Secretary moved for summary judgment, and after a referral to a magistrate for recommendations, the district court granted summary judgment to the Secretary. We reverse and remand with directions to enter judgment for Yawitz.

Yawitz claims that he suffers from severe migraine headaches which cause him such pain that he is not able to concentrate or engage in an occupation. The administrative law judge, whose findings were adopted by the Appeals Council, found that Yawitz was not suffering from a disability as that word is defined in section 223(d) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 423(d). Yawitz challenges this finding; and the issue, therefore, ultimately, is whether or not Yawitz has a disability as defined by the statute.¹

In his findings the administrative law judge found that Yawitz did suffer from migraine headaches which are partially disabling. However, he also found that Yawitz "was capable and is capable of engaging in substantial gainful activity . . .." Therefore, the claimant does not meet the statutory requirement that he be incapable of such activity and he does not fall within the statutory definition of "disability."

The fact findings made by the administrative law judge must be sustained by this Court if they are supported by substantial evidence based on the record as a whole. Social Security Act § 205(g), 42 U.S.C. § 405(g); Brasher v. Celebrezze, 340 F.2d 413, 414 (8th Cir. 1965). However, as was stated by the Ninth Circuit in Ainsworth v. Finch, 437 F.2d 446, 447 (9th Cir. 1971):

While we are not to try the claim de novo, "this does not mean that it was intended that the courts should abdicate their conventional judicial function to review," McMullen v. Celebrezze, 335 F.2d 811, 814 n. 4 (9th Cir. 1964). We cannot escape our duty "to scrutinize the record as a whole to determine whether the conclusions reached have a reasonable basis in law." Hicks v. Gardner, 393 F.2d 299, 302 (4th Cir. 1968).

See also Universal Camera Corp. v. N. L. R. B., 340 U.S. 474, 487-488, 71 S.Ct. 456, 95 L.Ed. 456 (1951); Celebrezze v. Bolas, 316 F.2d 498, 501 (8th Cir. 1963).

As we review the record in this case, then, we must keep in mind that the Supreme Court has defined "substantial evidence" as used in the Social Security Act to be "more than a mere scintilla. It means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion." Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401, 91 S.Ct. 1420, 1427, 28 L.Ed.2d 842 (1971) (quoting from Consolidated Edison Co. v. N. L. R. B., 305 U.S. 197, 229, 59 S.Ct. 206, 83 L.Ed. 126 (1938)).

After a careful study of the record herein we are unable to find such substantial evidence as will support the Secretary's decision. The relevant evidence adduced at the hearing of December 21, 1972, and from various exhibits introduced therein reveals the following facts:

Marvin Yawitz was born in 1914. He attended college, majoring in business administration and completed about one and one-half years. He was gainfully employed in various jobs from 1932 until 1970 when he claims that he became disabled. Most of his jobs have been in the retail sales field, and he has also had experience in office management and stock management positions. From 1953 to 1960 he owned and operated a hardware store. He appears to have been successful monetarily, earning between $12,000 and $24,000 per year. His average annual income has been around $18,000. He is married and lives with his wife who is not engaged in any outside employment. They have two married daughters.

Yawitz has complained of headaches since at least 1940. It would appear, however, that in the past ten or fifteen years the complaints have become more frequent. In spite of this, he continued to work, although he has worked for several employers since 1960. He claims that in every case his inability to function due to headaches has resulted in the termination of his employment. Apparently most of his jobs were provided by family or close personal friends who eventually decided that he was too unproductive when his headaches struck.

The headaches themselves are very painful to Yawitz. He says his head hurts all the time to some extent, but that really severe headaches hit as often as twice a week; although he sometimes goes for up to twelve days without the severe kind. He has found that all he can do when a headache comes on is to rest in a dark, quiet room. These attacks can last for three or four days.

Yawitz claims that these severe headaches affect his work in that when he gets one he cannot stay on the job and perform properly. He frequently cannot get to work until late and must leave early. He thus simply cannot function in a structured work situation.

In spite of the headaches, however, Yawitz drives a car, has gone on camping trips across country in a van-type camper, and in 1972 drove a large school bus from Chicago to St. Louis. Frequently, however, Yawitz and his wife covered very little distance in a day and he tended to drive short stretches at a time. Additionally, Yawitz does considerable handiwork around his house. He has fixed up his basement and is converting the school bus into a camper himself. Yawitz insists, however, that this work is therapy and that he works slowly and only when his headache situation will allow.

The medical testimony and evidence all tended to support Yawitz. Dr. Lewis E. Littmann has been Yawitz' personal physician since 1940. He testified to the effect that the headaches were real even though it was hard to find any objective signs that Yawitz was having one except for perspiration and slightly increased blood pressure. Yawitz has undergone every kind of test to determine what may be causing the headaches. All these tests have had negative results. No medication has worked consistently to relieve the pain. Dr. Littmann maintained that no one really knows what causes tension headaches of this kind, although he could and did describe the physiological occurrences which take place in the blood vessels in the head which result in the pain that is felt. The gist of Dr. Littmann's testimony was to the effect that Yawitz' headaches were apparently getting more frequent and more severe; that their onset was unpredictable; and that when one struck it made any work Yawitz was doing erratic.

There is also correspondence from three other doctors in the record. One letter, dated September 25, 1951, is from a Dr. George L. Hawkins, Jr. His conclusion after examining Yawitz was that he "has tension headaches and a psychoneurotic personality." Another letter is from Dr. G. R. Diessner of the Mayo Clinic and is dated December 16, 1963. Dr. Diessner reports that after a complete examination of Yawitz "a diagnosis of tension headaches was again made. Mr. Yawitz admits to a great deal of tension, some depression, and frustration."

Dr. Joseph S. Shuman, a neuropsychiatrist, examined Yawitz on October 1, 1971, on behalf of the Social Security Administration. His report confirms that Yawitz suffers from "intractable headaches" which "are inconsistent, but also unpredictable." The diagnosis is that he has a "Chronic Anxiety Reaction with depressive features." The prognosis is said to be "not good in the light of the long history and poor response to treatment." A review of all the medical evidence clearly shows that Yawitz often suffers from extremely severe headaches but that he is otherwise healthy for his age.

Mr. Samuel Bernstein, a vocational expert with a master of education degree in the field of guidance also testified at the hearing for the Social Security Administration. Mr. Bernstein responded to a number of hypotheticals regarding what type of work Yawitz could engage in in spite of his headaches, including a question which assumed the claimant's age, experience, education and migraine headaches. Mr. Bernstein stated that if Yawitz could communicate during one of these headache attacks he could function properly in an unstructured outside sales position such as an insurance salesman. The expert said that Yawitz could make premium sales, could sell merchandise, could sell textiles and could sell auto parts due to past work experience. He stated that there were numerous jobs of these types in the particular area. The major thrust of the expert's testimony in this regard was that in these types of sales positions Yawitz could be more or less his own boss and could make appointments when he felt up to it. However, under questioning from the claimant's attorney, he admitted that if Yawitz could frequently not keep appointments, it would interfere with employment.

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