Filed: Jun. 14, 2012
Latest Update: Feb. 12, 2020
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 11-2289 LAWRENCE GOLINI, Plaintiff - Appellant, v. MICHAEL J. ASTRUE, Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant - Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Norfolk. Rebecca Beach Smith, District Judge. (2:10-cv-00525-RBS-TEM) Submitted: June 4, 2012 Decided: June 14, 2012 Before SHEDD, AGEE, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Robert W. G
Summary: UNPUBLISHED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 11-2289 LAWRENCE GOLINI, Plaintiff - Appellant, v. MICHAEL J. ASTRUE, Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant - Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Norfolk. Rebecca Beach Smith, District Judge. (2:10-cv-00525-RBS-TEM) Submitted: June 4, 2012 Decided: June 14, 2012 Before SHEDD, AGEE, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Robert W. Gi..
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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 11-2289
LAWRENCE GOLINI,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
v.
MICHAEL J. ASTRUE, Commissioner of Social Security,
Defendant - Appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia, at Norfolk. Rebecca Beach Smith, District
Judge. (2:10-cv-00525-RBS-TEM)
Submitted: June 4, 2012 Decided: June 14, 2012
Before SHEDD, AGEE, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Robert W. Gillikin, II, RUTTER MILLS, LLP, Norfolk, Virginia,
for Appellant. Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney,
Lawrence Leonard, Managing Assistant United States Attorney,
Norfolk, Virginia, for Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
PER CURIAM:
Lawrence Golini appeals the district court’s order
accepting the magistrate judge’s recommendation and upholding
the Commissioner of Social Security’s decision to deny Golini a
period of disability insurance benefits. We affirm.
Our review of the Commissioner’s disability
determination is limited to evaluating whether the findings are
supported by substantial evidence and whether the correct law
was applied. See Johnson v. Barnhart,
434 F.3d 650, 653 (4th
Cir. 2005) (per curiam) (citing 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) (2006)).
“Substantial evidence is such relevant evidence as a reasonable
mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.”
Id.
(internal quotation marks omitted). We do not reweigh evidence
or make credibility determinations in evaluating whether a
decision is supported by substantial evidence; “[w]here
conflicting evidence allows reasonable minds to differ,” this
court defers to the Commissioner’s decision.
Id.
On appeal, Golini contends that the administrative law
judge (“ALJ”) erroneously classified his limitations as
constituting an ability to perform light, rather than sedentary,
work. The case turns on the role of the sit-stand limitation,
as Golini argues that the total time he would stand and walk,
given his sit-stand limitation, does not meet the minimum
requirements of light work. Golini asserts that the ALJ should
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have classified his work abilities as consistent with sedentary
work, entitling him to disability benefits pursuant to Medical-
Vocational Guidelines Rule 201.14. See 20 C.F.R. Pt. 404,
Subpt. P, App. 2, Rule 201.14 (directing that high school
graduate or more who is closely approaching advanced age without
transferable skills be deemed disabled).
Social Security Ruling (“SSR”) 83-12 notes that an
individual with a sit-stand requirement may not meet the
definition of either the sedentary or light work
classifications. SSR 83-12,
1983 WL 31253, at *4. This is
because “[s]uch an individual is not functionally capable of
doing either the prolonged sitting contemplated in the
definition of sedentary work (and for the relatively few light
jobs which are performed primarily in a seated position) or the
prolonged standing or walking contemplated for most light work.”
Id. The Commissioner “may rely on the [Medical-Vocational
Guidelines] only in ‘appropriate cases.’” Gibson v. Heckler,
762 F.2d 1516, 1520 (11th Cir. 1985) (quoting Heckler v.
Campbell,
461 U.S. 458, 466 (1983)). Such reliance is
inappropriate when, as here, a claimant’s residual functional
capacity falls between the exertional categories upon which the
Medical-Vocational Guidelines rely. See Jesurum v. Sec’y of
U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human Servs.,
48 F.3d 114, 120 (3d Cir.
1995) (collecting cases); see also 20 C.F.R. Pt. 404, Subpt. P,
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Ohio App. 2, Rule 200.00(a), (d) (stating rules are to be used
“[w]here the findings of fact made with respect to a particular
individual’s vocational factors and residual functional capacity
coincide with all of the criteria of a particular rule”).
Because Golini’s sit-stand requirement placed him
outside the category of individuals contemplated by the Medical-
Vocational Guidelines, we conclude that the ALJ’s decision to
rely on the vocational expert’s testimony was appropriate.
Accordingly, we affirm the judgment of the district court. We
dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal
contentions are adequately presented in the materials before the
court and argument would not aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
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