Crystal McFarland v. Andrew Saul, No. 19-1407 (8th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseCourt Description: Per Curiam - Before Gruender, Wollman and Kobes, Circuit Judges] Civil case - Social Security. Substantial evidence supported the decision to deny disability benefits; the ALJ properly gave little weight to the Residual Functional Capacity opinion of the treating physician as the results of the doctor's limited exams were not consistent with the RFC opinion.
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United States Court of Appeals For the Eighth Circuit ___________________________ No. 19-1407 ___________________________ Crystal McFarland lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiff - Appellant v. Andrew Saul, Commissioner, Social Security Administration lllllllllllllllllllllDefendant - Appellee ____________ Appeal from United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri - Hannibal ____________ Submitted: November 25, 2019 Filed: December 2, 2019 [Unpublished] ____________ Before GRUENDER, WOLLMAN, and KOBES, Circuit Judges. ____________ PER CURIAM. Crystal McFarland appeals a district court1 order affirming the denial of disability insurance benefits and supplemental security income. Upon de novo review, we agree with the district court that substantial evidence on the record as a whole supports the decision at issue. See Dols v. Saul, 931 F.3d 741, 744 (8th Cir. 2019) (standard of review). Specifically, we find that the administrative law judge properly gave little weight to the residual functional capacity (RFC) opinion of McFarland’s treating physician, Jonathan Wilford. Among other things, before rendering his opinion, Dr. Wilford had personally examined McFarland only twice when his assessments were either normal or reflected only minor abnormalities, and thus they were inconsistent with his RFC opinion. See Davidson v. Astrue, 501 F.3d 987, 990-91 (8th Cir. 2007) (treating physician’s opinion does not automatically control, and is properly discounted if inconsistent with his prior treatment notes). The other matters McFarland raises provide no basis for reversal. The judgment is affirmed. ______________________________ 1 The Honorable Patricia L. Cohen, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, to whom the case was referred for final disposition by consent of the parties pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). -2-
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