[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
________________________ FILED
U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
No. 09-15704 ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
JUNE 2, 2010
Non-Argument Calendar
JOHN LEY
________________________
CLERK
D. C. Docket No. 08-00799-CV-ORL-35-KRS
LIVIU GANTEA,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY,
Defendant-Appellee.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of Florida
_________________________
(June 2, 2010)
Before WILSON, PRYOR and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Liviu Gantea appeals a decision that affirmed the denial of his application
for disability insurance benefits and supplemental security income. 42 U.S.C. §§
405(g), 1383(c)(3). Gantea challenges the ruling on two grounds. First, Gantea
argues that the administrative law judge failed to consider Gantea’s complaints
about the side effects of his medications. Second, Gantea argues that the
administrative law judge submitted an incomplete hypothetical question to the
vocational expert. We affirm.
We review the decision by the Commissioner “to determine if it is supported
by substantial evidence and based on proper legal standards.” Crawford v.
Comm’r of Soc. Sec., 363 F.3d 1155, 1158 (11th Cir. 2004). Substantial evidence
consists of “such relevant evidence as a reasonable person would accept as
adequate to support a conclusion.” Id. The burden rests with the claimant to prove
that he is disabled and entitled to Social Security benefits. See 20 C.F.R. §
404.1512(a); Moore v. Barnhart, 405 F.3d 1208, 1211 (11th Cir. 2005).
The record establishes that the administrative law judge considered Gantea’s
complaints about the side effects of his prescription drugs and determined that
those side effects did not cause Gantea significant problems. Gantea testified that
he suffered from “all kinds of side effects” from prescription medications,
including headaches, dizziness, lack of sleep, and problems with his vision, heart,
and liver, but the administrative law judge found that Gantea’s complaints were
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“not fully credible.” The administrative law judge was entitled to discredit
Gantea’s complaints because neither of the physicians who prescribed Gantea’s
medications stated that side effects limited Gantea’s ability to work. See Swindle
v. Sullivan, 914 F.2d 222, 226 (11th Cir. 1990); 20 C.F.R. § 404.1529(c)(4)
(evaluating symptoms based on “any inconsistencies in the evidence and the extent
to which there are any conflicts between [the] statements [of the claimant] and the
rest of the evidence”). Dr. Marc Gerber, who prescribed Etodolac and
Cyclobenzaprine for Gantea’s back pain, did not report any side effects caused by
those medicines. Dr. Bhaskar Raju, who prescribed Wellbutrin, Lorazepam,
Temazepam, and Lexapro for Gantea’s depression, reported a “loss of sexual
interest” as Gantea’s only side effect. Dr. Zaponti recorded some symptoms
reported by Gantea, but the doctor did not attribute the symptoms to Gantea’s
medications. The administrative law judge was not required to inquire further
about Gantea’s alleged side effects. See Cherry v. Heckler, 760 F.2d 1186, 1191
n.7 (11th Cir. 1985).
Gantea argues that the administrative law judge posed an incomplete
hypothetical question to the vocational expert that omitted that Gantea had
moderate difficulty with concentration, persistence, and pace, but we disagree.
Gantea suffered moderate limitations in his concentration, persistence, and pace,
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but Dr. Ann Adams and Dr. Bruce Hertz reported that those impairments were not
severe enough to constitute a functional limitation. Because Gantea’s limitations
did not meet or equal a listed impairment, the administrative law judge had to
determine only whether Gantea could perform other work based on his residual
functional capacity, age, education, and work experience. See 20 C.F.R. §§
404.1520(a)(4)(iii)–(v), 404.1520a(d)(3). The hypothetical question included all
the impairments related to Gantea’s residual functional capacity, and the answer of
the vocational expert provided substantial evidence to support the finding that
Gantea could perform the requirements of a table worker or assembly worker.
The denial of Gantea’s application for benefits is AFFIRMED.
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