Jamie Wright v. Kilolo Kijakazi ( 2022 )


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  •                  United States Court of Appeals
    For the Eighth Circuit
    ___________________________
    No. 21-2444
    ___________________________
    Jamie L. Wright
    lllllllllllllllllllllPlaintiff - Appellant
    v.
    Kilolo Kijakazi,1 Acting Commissioner of Social Security Administration
    lllllllllllllllllllllDefendant - Appellee
    ____________
    Appeal from United States District Court
    for the Western District of Arkansas - Hot Springs
    ____________
    Submitted: February 1, 2022
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    [Unpublished]
    ____________
    Before GRUENDER, ERICKSON, and KOBES, Circuit Judges.
    ____________
    PER CURIAM.
    1
    Kilolo Kijakazi has been appointed to serve as Acting Commissioner of Social
    Security, and is substituted as appellee pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate
    Procedure 43(c).
    Jamie Wright appeals the district court’s2 order affirming the denial of
    disability insurance benefits and supplemental security income. We find that the
    Commissioner’s decision is supported by substantial evidence in the record as a
    whole. See Twyford v. Comm’r, Soc. Sec. Admin., 
    929 F.3d 512
    , 516 (8th Cir. 2019)
    (standard of review). Specifically, the evidence supports the administrative law
    judge’s (ALJ’s) finding that Wright’s back impairment did not meet listing 1.04(A),
    as he did not have the requisite positive straight-leg raise testing. See 
    id. at 517
    (substantial evidence supported determination that listing 1.04(A) was not met, as
    claimant did not have objective finding required by listing). Further, the ALJ
    properly evaluated Wright’s subjective complaints. See McDade v. Astrue, 
    720 F.3d 994
    , 998 (8th Cir. 2013) (no error in evaluating complaints of disabling pain where
    medical evidence and claimant’s daily activities were not fully consistent with
    complaints). Finally, the ALJ did not err in declining to include residual functional
    capacity (RFC) limitations arising from Wright’s alleged mental conditions, see
    McGeorge v. Barnhart, 
    321 F.3d 766
    , 769 (8th Cir. 2003) (ALJ properly limited RFC
    to only impairments he found supported by record); Black v. Apfel, 
    143 F.3d 383
    ,
    386 (8th Cir. 1998) (ALJ correctly found that no objective medical findings supported
    alleged mental condition); or arising from his alleged medication side effects, see
    Zeiler v. Barnhart, 
    384 F.3d 932
    , 936 (8th Cir. 2004) (as record did not document
    impaired concentration due to pain medication, RFC excluding such limitation was
    supported by substantial evidence).
    The judgment is affirmed.
    ______________________________
    2
    The Honorable Barry A. Bryant, United States Magistrate Judge for the
    Western District of Arkansas, to whom the case was referred for final disposition by
    consent of the parties pursuant to 
    28 U.S.C. § 636
    (c).
    -2-