F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
July 13, 2005
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
VICKY L. GRISSOM,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
No. 04-7077
v. (D.C. No. CV-03-386-WH)
(E.D. Okla.)
JO ANNE B. BARNHART,
Commissioner of the Social Security
Administration,
Defendant-Appellee.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before EBEL , McCONNELL , and TYMKOVICH , 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); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument.
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the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.
Vicky Grissom seeks review of the denial of supplemental security income
benefits under Title XVI of the Social Security Act, see 42 U.S.C. § 1381a. After
an administrative law judge (ALJ) denied her claim, both the Appeals Council and
the district court affirmed the ALJ’s decision. On appeal, Ms. Grissom raises the
same issues she posed to the district court. She contends that the ALJ: (1)
improperly evaluated the medical evidence and disregarded her treating and
consultative physicians’ opinions; (2) erred by failing to formulate a residual
functioning capacity (RFC) that included all of her alleged limitations; and (3)
erred by improperly disregarding certain testimony of the vocational expert. We
have jurisdiction over this appeal under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) and 28 U.S.C. § 1291,
and we affirm.
In conducting our review of this case,
[w]e review the agency’s decision to determine whether the
factual findings are supported by substantial evidence in the record
and whether the correct legal standards were applied. Substantial
evidence is such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept
as adequate to support a conclusion. However, a decision is not based
on substantial evidence if it is overwhelmed by other evidence in the
record or if there is a mere scintilla of evidence supporting it. The
agency’s failure to apply correct legal standards, or show us it has
done so, is also grounds for reversal. Finally, because our review is
based on the record taken as a whole, we will meticulously examine
the record in order to determine if the evidence supporting the
agency’s decision is substantial, taking into account whatever in the
record fairly detracts from its weight. However, we may neither
reweigh the evidence nor substitute our discretion for that of the
Commissioner.
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Hamlin v. Barnhart, 365 F.3d 1208, 1214 (10th Cir. 2004) (quotation marks,
citations, and brackets omitted).
In a very thorough report, the magistrate judge assigned to this case
carefully analyzed all of Ms. Grissom’s contentions, and the district court adopted
the magistrate judge’s analysis and recommendations. We have reviewed the
record and the ALJ’s January 7, 2003, decision de novo , but we agree with the
district court’s analysis and legal conclusions. Specifically, we agree that (1) the
ALJ properly weighed the opinions of the various consulting and treating
physicians, and his reliance on Dr. Crittenden’s findings was supported by
substantial evidence; (2) the ALJ properly supported his decision to disregard
Dr. Heller’s report with specific, legitimate reasons; (3) the ALJ’s determination
that the medical record did not support a diagnosis of disabling osteoarthritis was
supported by substantial evidence; and (4) the ALJ’s RFC determination included
all of the mental and physical impairments that he found were supported by the
evidentiary record, thus he properly disregarded that part of the VE’s testimony
made in response to a hypothetical that included impairments not supported in the
record. Accordingly, for substantially the same reasons set forth in the May 18,
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2004, report and recommendations, we conclude that the ALJ’s findings were
supported by substantial evidence and that he applied the correct legal standards.
The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
Entered for the Court
Timothy M. Tymkovich
Circuit Judge
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