Hunt v. Social Security Administration Commissioner

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

WESTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS

TEXARKANA DIVISION

CHRISTINA HUNT PLAINTIFF

vs. Civil No. 4:24-cv-04062

COMMISSIONER, SOCIAL

SECURITY ADMINISTRATION DEFENDANT

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Christina Hunt (“Plaintiff”) brings this action pursuant to § 205(g) of Title II of the Social

Security Act (“The Act”), 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) (2010), seeking judicial review of a final decision

of the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) denying her application for

Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) and period of disability under Title XVI of the Act.

The Parties have consented to the jurisdiction of a magistrate judge to conduct any and all

proceedings in this case, including conducting the trial, ordering the entry of a final judgment, and

conducting all post-judgment proceedings. ECF No. 4.1 Pursuant to this authority, the Court

0F

issues this memorandum opinion and orders the entry of a final judgment in this matter.

1. Background:

Plaintiff protectively filed her disability application on September 3, 2020. (Tr. 14). In

this application, Plaintiff alleges being disabled due to degenerative disc disease, hand and arm

numbness, a pinched nerve in the back, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder,

irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. (Tr. 216). Plaintiff alleged

1 The docket numbers for this case are referenced by the designation “ECF No. ___” The

transcript pages for this case are referenced by the designation “Tr” and refer to the document

filed at ECF No. 5. These references are to the page number of the transcript itself and not the

ECF page number.

an onset date of September 1, 2010. (Tr. 14). This application was denied initially and again upon

reconsideration. Id.

After these denials, Plaintiff requested an administrative hearing, and this hearing request

was granted. (Tr. 127-193). Plaintiff’s administrative hearing was held on June 9, 2022. (Tr. 32-

64). Plaintiff was present and was represented by Matthew Golden at this hearing. Id. Plaintiff

and Vocational Expert (“VE”) Julia Gutierrez testified at this hearing. Id.

On October 11, 2023, after the administrative hearing, the ALJ entered a fully unfavorable

decision denying Plaintiff’s application. (Tr. 14-26). The ALJ found Plaintiff had not engaged in

Substantial Gainful Activity (“SGA”) since September 3, 2020. (Tr. 16, Finding 1). The ALJ then

determined Plaintiff had the following severe impairments: cervical radiculopathy status post

anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion; obesity; hypertension; anxiety; depression; and post-

traumatic stress disorder. (Tr. 17, Finding 2). Despite being severe, the ALJ also determined

Plaintiff did not have an impairment or combination of impairments that met or medically equaled

one of the listed impairments in 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 (“Listings”). (Tr. 17,

Finding 3).

In this decision, the ALJ indicted she evaluated Plaintiff’s subjective allegations and

determined her Residual Functional Capacity (“RFC”). (Tr. 19-24, Finding 4). Specifically, the

ALJ found Plaintiff retained the RFC to perform light exertional work and she could lift and/or

carry 10 pounds frequently and 20 pounds occasionally; sit, stand, or walk 6 hours in an 8-hour

workday; and push/pull as much as she could lift/carry; could occasionally reach overhead

bilaterally; occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and climb ramps and stairs but could never

climb ladders, ropes, or scaffolds; and was limited to simple tasks in a routine work environment.

Id.

The ALJ evaluated Plaintiff’s Past Relevant Work (“PRW”) and determined Plaintiff had

no PRW. (Tr. 24, Finding 5). The ALJ then considered whether Plaintiff retained the capacity to

perform other work existing in signification numbers in the national economy. (Tr. 25, Finding

9). In making this determination, the ALJ relied upon the testimony of the VE. Id. Based upon

the VE’s testimony, the ALJ determined Plaintiff retained the capacity to perform the following

occupations: (1) marker with 137,814 such occupations in the nation; (2) router with 25,152 such

occupations in the nation; and (3) routing clerk with 140,952 such occupations in the nation. (Tr.

25). Because Plaintiff retained the capacity to perform this other work, the ALJ determined

Plaintiff had not been under a disability, as defined by the Act, since September 3, 2020. (Tr. 26,

Finding 10).

Plaintiff requested the Appeals Council’s review of the ALJ’s unfavorable disability

determination. On April 8, 2024, the Appeals Council declined to review the ALJ’s disability

determination. (Tr. 1-6). On June 7, 2024, Plaintiff filed the present appeal. ECF No. 1. The

Parties have consented to the jurisdiction of this Court. ECF No. 4. This case is now ready for

decision.

2. Applicable Law:

In reviewing this case, the Court is required to determine whether the Commissioner’s

findings are supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(g)

(2010); Ramirez v. Barnhart, 292 F.3d 576, 583 (8th Cir. 2002). Substantial evidence is less than

a preponderance of the evidence, but it is enough that a reasonable mind would find it adequate to

support the Commissioner’s decision. See Johnson v. Apfel, 240 F.3d 1145, 1147 (8th Cir. 2001).

As long as there is substantial evidence in the record that supports the Commissioner’s decision,

the Court may not reverse it simply because substantial evidence exists in the record that would

have supported a contrary outcome or because the Court would have decided the case differently.

See Haley v. Massanari, 258 F.3d 742, 747 (8th Cir. 2001). If, after reviewing the record, it is

possible to draw two inconsistent positions from the evidence and one of those positions represents

the findings of the ALJ, the decision of the ALJ must be affirmed. See Young v. Apfel, 221 F.3d

1065, 1068 (8th Cir. 2000).

It is well-established that a claimant for Social Security disability benefits has the burden

of proving his or her disability by establishing a physical or mental disability that lasted at least

one year and that prevents him or her from engaging in any substantial gainful activity. See Cox

v. Apfel, 160 F.3d 1203, 1206 (8th Cir. 1998); 42 U.S.C. §§ 423(d)(1)(A), 1382c(a)(3)(A). The

Act defines a “physical or mental impairment” as “an impairment that results from anatomical,

physiological, or psychological abnormalities which are demonstrable by medically acceptable

clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques.” 42 U.S.C. §§ 423(d)(3), 1382(3)(c). A plaintiff

must show that his or her disability, not simply his or her impairment, has lasted for at least twelve

consecutive months. See 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(1)(A).

To determine whether the adult claimant suffers from a disability, the Commissioner uses

the familiar five-step sequential evaluation. He determines: (1) whether the claimant is presently

engaged in a “substantial gainful activity”; (2) whether the claimant has a severe impairment that

significantly limits the claimant’s physical or mental ability to perform basic work activities; (3)

whether the claimant has an impairment that meets or equals a presumptively disabling impairment

listed in the regulations (if so, the claimant is disabled without regard to age, education, and work

experience); (4) whether the claimant has the Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) to perform his

or her past relevant work; and (5) if the claimant cannot perform the past work, the burden shifts

to the Commissioner to prove that there are other jobs in the national economy that the claimant

can perform. See Cox, 160 F.3d at 1206; 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(a)-(f). The fact finder only

considers the plaintiff’s age, education, and work experience in light of his or her RFC if the final

stage of this analysis is reached. See 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520, 416.920 (2003).

3. Discussion:

In her appeal brief, Plaintiff raised the following arguments for reversal: (1) the ALJ erred

in assessing Plaintiff’s subjective allegations, (2) the ALJ erred in the RFC determination, and (3)

the ALJ erred at Step 5. ECF No. 10 at 4-8. Because the Court finds the ALJ erred in assessing

Plaintiff’s subjective allegations, the Court will only address this argument for reversal.

The Court notes that in assessing the subjective allegations of a claimant, the ALJ is

required to examine and to apply the five factors from Polaski v. Heckler, 739 F.2d 1320 (8th Cir.

1984) or from 20 C.F.R. § 404.1529 and 20 C.F.R. § 416.929.2 See Shultz v. Astrue, 479 F.3d

1F

979, 983 (2007). The factors to consider are as follows: (1) the claimant’s daily activities; (2) the

duration, frequency, and intensity of the pain; (3) the precipitating and aggravating factors; (4) the

dosage, effectiveness, and side effects of medication; and (5) the functional restrictions. See

Polaski, 739 at 1322.

The factors must be analyzed and considered in light of the claimant’s subjective

allegations of pain. See id. The ALJ is not required to methodically discuss each factor as long as

the ALJ acknowledges and examines these factors prior to discounting the claimant’s subjective

allegations. See Lowe v. Apfel, 226 F.3d 969, 971-72 (8th Cir. 2000). As long as the ALJ properly

2 Social Security Regulations 20 C.F.R. § 404.1529 and 20 C.F.R. § 416.929 require the analysis of two

additional factors: (1) “treatment, other than medication, you receive or have received for relief of your

pain or other symptoms” and (2) “any measures you use or have used to relieve your pain or symptoms

(e.g., lying flat on your back, standing for 15 to 20 minutes every hour, sleeping on a board, etc.).”

However, under Polaski and its progeny, the Eighth Circuit has not yet required the analysis of these

additional factors. See Shultz v. Astrue, 479 F.3d 979, 983 (2007). Thus, this Court will not require the

analysis of these additional factors in this case.

applies these five factors and gives several valid reasons for finding that the Plaintiff’s subjective

allegations are not entirely reliable, the ALJ’s determination of subjective allegations is entitled to

deference. See id.; Cox v. Barnhart, 471 F.3d 902, 907 (8th Cir. 2006). The ALJ, however, cannot

discount Plaintiff’s subjective allegations “solely because the objective medical evidence does not

fully support them [the subjective allegations].” Polaski, 739 F.2d at 1322.

When discounting a claimant’s subjective allegations of pain, the ALJ must make a specific

determination regarding that claimant’s subjective allegations, articulating the reasons for

discrediting the testimony, addressing any inconsistencies, and discussing the Polaski factors. See

Baker v. Apfel, 159 F.3d 1140, 1144 (8th Cir. 1998). The inability to work without some pain or

discomfort is not a sufficient reason to find a Plaintiff disabled within the strict definition of the

Act. The issue is not the existence of pain, but whether the pain a Plaintiff experiences precludes

the performance of substantial gainful activity. See Thomas v. Sullivan, 928 F.2d 255, 259 (8th

Cir. 1991).

In the present action, the Court finds the ALJ did not provide sufficient reasons for

discounting Plaintiff’s subjective allegations. In her opinion, the ALJ discounted Plaintiff’s

subjective complains for the following reasons:

After careful consideration of the evidence, the undersigned finds that the

claimant’s medically determinable impairments could reasonably be expected to

cause the alleged symptoms; however, the claimant’s statements concerning the

intensity, persistence and limiting effects of these symptoms are not entirely

consistent with the medical evidence and other evidence in the record for the

reasons explained in this decision.

(Tr. 23). Indeed, although the ALJ referenced “other evidence,” she did not specifically provide

what that “other evidence” was.

Based upon this review, the Court finds the ALJ improperly discounted Plaintiff’s

subjective allegations based upon her medical records. See Polaski, 739 F.2d at 1322 (holding a

claimant’s subjective allegations cannot be discounted “solely because the objective medical

evidence does not fully support them [the subjective allegations]”). Accordingly, because the ALJ

provided an insufficient basis for discounting Plaintiff’s subjective allegations, this case must be

reversed and remanded.

4. Conclusion:

Based on the foregoing, the undersigned finds the ALJ’s decision is not supported by

substantial evidence in the record. As such, this case is reversed and remanded for further findings

consistent with this opinion. A judgment incorporating these findings will be entered pursuant to

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 52 and 58.

ENTERED this 2nd day of July 2025.

Barry A. Bryant

/s/

HON. BARRY A. BRYANT

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE