UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Filed 9/17/96
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
JERILYN BURGESS,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v. No. 96-7018
(D.C. No. CV-94-534-B)
SHIRLEY S. CHATER, (E.D. Okla.)
Commissioner, Social Security
Administration, *
Defendant-Appellee.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT **
Before BRORBY, BARRETT, and EBEL, Circuit Judges.
*
Effective March 31, 1995, the functions of the Secretary of Health and
Human Services in social security cases were transferred to the Commissioner of
Social Security. P.L. No. 103-296. Pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 43(c), Shirley S.
Chater, Commissioner of Social Security, is substituted for Donna E. Shalala,
Secretary of Health and Human Services, as the defendant in this action.
Although we have substituted the Commissioner for the Secretary in the caption,
in the text we continue to refer to the Secretary because she was the appropriate
party at the time of the underlying decision.
**
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
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.
Plaintiff Jerilyn Burgess appeals from an order of the district court
affirming the decision of the Secretary to award her benefits for a closed period
of time--December 29, 1988 through July 31, 1990. Ms. Burgess asserts that she
has not regained the ability to work and her benefits should continue. We affirm.
"We review the Secretary's decision to determine whether her factual
findings are supported by substantial evidence in the record viewed as a whole
and whether she applied the correct legal standards. Substantial evidence is such
relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a
conclusion." Castellano v. Secretary of Health & Human Servs., 26 F.3d 1027,
1028 (10th Cir. 1994)(citations and quotation omitted).
The administrative law judge determined at step five 1 that as of July 31,
1990, Ms. Burgess had regained the ability to perform the full range of sedentary
work. Ms. Burgess argues this determination was incorrect because the
administrative law judge did not correctly evaluate her mental impairments which
1
See Williams v. Bowen, 844 F.2d 748, 750-52 (10th Cir. 1988)(explaining
the five-step sequential process).
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are the result of her use of narcotic pain relievers. In particular, Ms. Burgess
argues the administrative law judge incorrectly interpreted the medical assessment
form filled out by the consulting psychologist, Dr. Gordon. Ms. Burgess cites to
Cruse v. United States Department of Health & Human Services, 49 F.3d 614
(10th Cir. 1995) to support her argument. Ms. Burgess raises no argument as to
the administrative law judge’s determination that her physical impairments have
resolved sufficiently to permit her to perform sedentary work.
Ms. Burgess originally claimed disability only due to back problems and
resulting pain. On appeal, the district court remanded the case finding that the
record was not sufficiently developed to determine whether Ms. Burgess had the
physical ability to engage in substantial gainful activity during the relevant time
period. On remand, the administrative law judge, stating that he was unsure what
additional information the district court desired, ordered both an orthopedic and a
mental consultation.
Physically, Ms. Burgess was noted to have been enrolled at a junior college
taking computer sciences and accounting since January 1990. She takes two
classes a semester with three to four hours of homework a week per class. She
handles the time in the classroom well as long as she can stand up when she needs
to. She has a grade point average of 3.14. She also works in the bursar’s office
doing accounting and data entry for four hours a day as part of a work-study
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program. She drives seventeen miles each way to school every day. She does not
do heavy housework and does no yard work. Ms. Burgess stated that she felt she
could work in the bursar’s office eight hours a day if she could stand when she
needed to. She likes to take an afternoon nap when she can to rest her legs.
Dr. Gordon noted that her chief complaint was of pain resulting from her
back problems. Dr. Gordon noted that Ms. Burgess did show depression and
anxiety features. He concluded she had a moderate dysthymic disorder and could
be addicted to the narcotic analgesics she takes. He determined that while she
might have chronic pain syndrome, it was not severe. He concluded that Ms.
Burgess was capable of performing sedentary work and “must be considered to be
a viable member of our work force.” Appellant’s App. Vol. II at 306.
As part of his evaluation, Dr. Gordon filled out the “Medical Assessment of
Ability to do Work-Related Activities (Mental)” form. He rated Ms. Burgess in
most areas as “fair.” The form defines the word “fair” to mean that the
individual’s ability to function is seriously limited, but not precluded.
In Cruse, we held that, according to the form’s definition, a marking of
“fair” on the medical assessment form was evidence of disability. 49 F.3d at 618.
Ms. Burgess urges us to apply that holding without consideration of the rest of the
record. This we will not do. As noted supra, p.2, we review the record as a
whole (as does the administrative law judge in making his original determination).
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In Cruse, we not only reviewed the rating on the medical assessment form, but
also examined the doctors’ written notes which clearly supported a finding of a
severe mental impairment. 49 F.3d at 616, 618-19.
The administrative law judge is required to “evaluate every medical
opinion” he receives. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1527(d). Further, the administrative law
judge may reject a professional’s opinion, if the professional’s conclusions are
not supported by that professional’s own records. Cf. Castellano, 26 F.3d at
1029.
Here, no evidence supports Dr. Gordon’s ratings on the medical assessment
form. Dr. Gordon concluded that Ms. Burgess is capable of working. Indeed,
Ms. Burgess even agreed that she could work if her need to stand could be
accommodated. Ms. Burgess’ current ability to hold a part-time job while going
to school and maintaining an excellent grade point average belies any attempt to
claim that any mental dysfunction she may have affects her to the point of
disability.
We caution counsel against attempting to apply case holdings without first
examining whether the facts underlying his client’s claims support application of
the holding. At no time prior to the psychiatric consultation had Ms. Burgess
claimed any mental impairment. Indeed, at the hearing on remand, counsel stated
that this was “solely an orthopedic case.” Appellant’s App. Vol. II at 179. Only
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after Cruse was decided (and on appeal to the district court), did counsel advance
the argument that Ms. Burgess was disabled due to a mental impairment. We
have not, nor will we, elevate the blanket use of a case holding over the proper
examination and consideration of the record as a whole.
The judgment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of
Oklahoma is AFFIRMED.
Entered for the Court
Wade Brorby
Circuit Judge
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