Reynolds v. Kijakazi

25 F.4th 470

Trisha K. REYNOLDS, Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.Kilolo KIJAKAZI, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 21-1624

United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit.

Argued January 20, 2022

Decided February 1, 2022

Jason Scott Rodman, Randal Scott Forbes, Attorneys, Forbes Rodman PC, Angola, IN, for Plaintiff-Appellant.

Anthony W. Geller, Attorney, Office of the United States Attorney, Fort Wayne, IN, Leo Rufino Montenegro, Attorney, Social Security Administration, Office of the General Counsel, Baltimore, MD, for Defendant-Appellee.

Before Rovner, Brennan, and St. Eve, Circuit Judges.

St. Eve, Circuit Judge.

Trisha Reynolds applied for Social Security disability benefits, asserting that she cannot work because of migraines, depression, and difficulty regulating her emotions in social settings. After her claim was administratively denied, an administrative law judge ("ALJ") reviewed her claim and concluded that Reynolds's impairments did not render her disabled. The Social Security Appeals Council denied her request for review, and the district court held that the ALJ's decision was supported by substantial evidence.

In this appeal, Reynolds argues that the ALJ erred by failing to include a qualitative interaction limitation in her residual functional capacity determination. We disagree. No medical evidence called for a qualitative interaction limitation, and the ALJ was not required to intuit such a limitation from the administrative record. Because substantial evidence supports the ALJ's decision, we affirm.

I. Background

Trisha Reynolds was born in 1992, graduated from high school, and previously worked part-time in retail. Reynolds suffers from a variety of ailments, including migraines, vertigo, and "major depressive disorder, recurrent moderate with anxious distress." She applied for disability benefits on September 25, 2017. Although Reynolds initially alleged a disability onset date of March 12, 2006, she amended her onset date to the date of her application. Her application was denied initially and on reconsideration. She then received a hearing before an ALJ.

At the hearing, Reynolds testified that she suffers from back pain, vertigo, and migraines, and she cannot stand for more than ten minutes. Her parents handle chores around the house. When asked whether any of her conditions affect her ability to work, Reynolds responded: "Part of my migraine dizziness, vertigo [sic] if I get too hot or the weather changes, I get, like, muscle weakness all over. I can't walk. I can't stand, sit. ... I can't write." She testified that she has migraines every day, and each migraine lasts approximately half an hour to an hour. She previously took various prescription medications for her migraines, but she stopped taking some because of their side effects. According to Reynolds, she quit her job at Walmart because of her migraines. When she drives, she always has someone with her in the car "in case I get a migraine, lightheaded, [or] dizziness." In terms of her mental health, Reynolds testified that she had never gone to an emergency room or crisis center for mental health treatment. She suffers from anxiety when she is around "a whole bunch of people," which she defined as "more than five people." At the time of the hearing, she was taking medication for her mental health conditions.

The ALJ concluded that Reynolds was not disabled under the Social Security Administration's five-step method. First, the ALJ concluded that Reynolds was not engaged in substantial gainful activity because she had not worked since September 25, 2017, the alleged disability onset date. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(b). Second, the ALJ concluded that Reynolds suffered from the following severe impairments: migraine headaches and "major depressive disorder, recurrent moderate with anxious distress." See id. § 404.1520(c). Third, the ALJ concluded that Reynolds's impairments did not meet or equal one of the impairments listed in 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart P, App'x 1. See id. § 404.1520(d).

The ALJ then determined that Reynolds had the residual functional capacity ("RFC") to perform a full range of work with the following non-exertional limitations:

can never climb ladders/ropes/scaffolds; and not even moderate exposure to moving machinery, unprotected heights, or extreme heat. Work with a moderate level of noise. With work that can be learned in thirty (30) days or less, with simple routine tasks, routine workplace changes, and occasional interaction with co-workers and supervisors, but no interaction with the general public. The claimant is capable of remaining on task in two-hour increments.

The ALJ concluded that, while Reynolds does have medically determinable impairments, "a careful review of the record does not document sufficient medical evidence to substantiate the severity of the pain and degree of functional limitations alleged by the claimant." Of particular relevance to this appeal, "[t]he record shows minimal behavioral health treatment from September 2017 to [the] present." Although there was evidence that Reynolds "occasionally exhibits anger and/or frustration," the record as a whole showed that she is "cooperative, alert, oriented, [and] exhibits appropriate mood and affect." The ALJ observed that the RFC took Reynolds's social anxiety into account "by finding her capable of occasional interaction with co-workers and supervisors and no interaction with the general public."

Notably, the ALJ rejected three state agency consultants' opinions that were unfavorable toward Reynolds's physical and mental impairments. The ALJ found that, contrary to those opinions, Reynolds's migraines and depression constituted severe impairments. The ALJ found only one state agency consultant's opinion persuasive: that of B. Randal Horton, Psy.D. Dr. Horton opined that Reynolds was capable of unskilled work and could respond appropriately to "brief supervision and interactions [with] co-workers in work settings." The ALJ determined that Dr. Horton's opinion was consistent with the medical record and warranted some RFC restrictions. By comparison, the ALJ found the opinion of Leslie Predina, Ph.D. "mostly unpersuasive." Dr. Predina believed that Reynolds "will likely struggle to get along with her supervisors and coworkers due to her mental health issues." The ALJ found Dr. Predina's opinion on this point "vague" and speculative.

Fourth, the ALJ concluded that Reynolds had no past relevant work. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(e). Fifth, the ALJ concluded that suitable jobs existed in significant numbers in the national economy, in light of Reynolds's age, education, work experience, and RFC. See id. § 404.1520(f). For purposes of step 5, a vocational expert testified at the hearing that an individual with Reynolds's characteristics could perform jobs such as hand packager and collator. The Appeals Council denied Reynolds's request for review, and Reynolds timely filed a complaint in the district court. 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g), 1383(c)(3).

The district court affirmed the ALJ's unfavorable decision. The court considered and rejected Reynolds's argument that the ALJ failed to properly consider her mental limitations in the RFC analysis: the ALJ need not have imposed "qualitative" limitations on Reynolds's interactions with supervisors and coworkers, and substantial evidence supported the ALJ's RFC determination. Specifically, the ALJ relied on Dr. Horton's opinion that Reynolds could "respond appropriately to brief supervision and interactions [with] coworkers in work settings."

II. Discussion

We review the district court's affirmance of the ALJ's decision de novo and ask whether substantial evidence supported the ALJ's decision. Arnold v. Saul , 990 F.3d 1046, 1047 (7th Cir. 2021). Substantial evidence means "evidence that a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion." Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). We "will not reweigh the evidence, resolve debatable evidentiary conflicts, determine credibility, or substitute our judgment for the ALJ's determination." Gedatus v. Saul , 994 F.3d 893, 900 (7th Cir. 2021). Rather, this court asks whether the ALJ's decision "reflects an adequate logical bridge from the evidence to the conclusions." Id.

An ALJ assesses a claimant's RFC between steps three and four of the five-step method for disability claims. See 20 C.F.R. § 416.945(a). When conducting the RFC analysis, "an ALJ must include all of a claimant's limitations supported by the medical record." Deborah M. v. Saul , 994 F.3d 785, 791 (7th Cir. 2021) (citing Yurt v. Colvin , 758 F.3d 850, 857 (7th Cir. 2014) ). Crucially, however, an ALJ need only include limitations that are supported by the medical record. See, e.g. , Deborah M. , 994 F.3d at 791 (concluding the ALJ properly omitted manipulative limitation from RFC because "[n]o doctor who addressed Plaintiff's carpal tunnel syndrome ever deemed it a manipulative limitation").

We agree with the district court and the Commissioner that Reynolds's case is distinguishable from the unpublished district court opinions she cites in her briefs, which have no...