(SS) Caglia v. Commissioner of Social Security

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedOctober 4, 2021
Docket1:19-cv-01376
StatusUnknown

This text of (SS) Caglia v. Commissioner of Social Security ((SS) Caglia v. Commissioner of Social Security) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
(SS) Caglia v. Commissioner of Social Security, (E.D. Cal. 2021).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10

11 ANTHONY CAGLIA, ) Case No.: 1:19-cv-1376 JLT ) 12 Plaintiff, ) ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S APPEAL ) (DOC. 25) AND DENYING THE 13 ) COMMISSIONER’S REQUEST TO AFFIRM THE ) ADMINISTRATIVE DECISION (DOC. 27) 14 v. ) ) ORDER REMANDING THE ACTION PURSUANT 15 COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY, ) TO SENTENCE FOUR OF 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) ) 16 Defendant. ) ORDER DIRECTING ENTRY OF JUDGMENT IN ) FAVOR OF PLAINTIFF ANTHONY CAGLIA 17 ) AND AGAINST DEFENDANT, THE ) COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY 18

19 Anthony Caglia asserts he is entitled to disability insurance benefits and a period of disability 20 under Title II of the Social Security Act. Plaintiff argues the administrative law judge erred in 21 evaluating the record and seeks judicial review of the decision denying his application for benefits. 22 (See generally Doc. 25.) the matter is REMANDED for further proceedings pursuant to sentence four 23 of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). 24 BACKGROUND 25 In March 2015, Plaintiff applied for benefits, alleging disability due to blindness, “no feeling in 26 [his] hands,” severe shoulder pain, and pain in his teeth. (Doc. 15-2 at 70.) The Social Security 27 Administration denied the application at the initial level and upon reconsideration. (See id. at 24.) 28 Plaintiff requested an administrative hearing regarding his applications and testified before an ALJ on 1 March 21, 2018. (Id. at 24, 41.) The ALJ found Plaintiff was not disabled and issued an order 2 denying benefits on June 19, 2018. (Id. at 21-33.) Plaintiff requested review of the decision by the 3 Appeals Council, which denied the request on May 22, 2019. (Id. at 10-12.) Therefore, the ALJ’s 4 determination became the final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security. 5 STANDARD OF REVIEW 6 District courts have a limited scope of judicial review for disability claims after a decision by 7 the Commissioner to deny benefits under the Social Security Act. When reviewing findings of fact, 8 such as whether a claimant was disabled, the Court must determine whether the Commissioner’s 9 decision is supported by substantial evidence or is based on legal error. 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). The 10 ALJ’s determination that the claimant is not disabled must be upheld by the Court if the proper legal 11 standards were applied and the findings are supported by substantial evidence. See Sanchez v. Sec’y of 12 Health & Human Serv., 812 F.2d 509, 510 (9th Cir. 1987). 13 Substantial evidence is “more than a mere scintilla. It means such relevant evidence as a 14 reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 15 389, 401 (1971) (quoting Consol. Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197 (1938)). The record as a whole 16 must be considered, because “[t]he court must consider both evidence that supports and evidence that 17 detracts from the ALJ’s conclusion.” Jones v. Heckler, 760 F.2d 993, 995 (9th Cir. 1985). 18 DISABILITY BENEFITS 19 To qualify for benefits under the Social Security Act, Plaintiff must establish she is unable to 20 engage in substantial gainful activity due to a medically determinable physical or mental impairment 21 that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. 42 U.S.C. 22 § 1382c(a)(3)(A). An individual shall be considered to have a disability only if: 23 his physical or mental impairment or impairments are of such severity that he is not only unable to do his previous work but cannot, considering his age, education, and 24 work experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the national economy, regardless of whether such work exists in the immediate area in 25 which he lives, or whether a specific job vacancy exists for him, or whether he would be hired if he applied for work. 26

27 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(B). The burden of proof is on a claimant to establish disability. Terry v. 28 Sullivan, 903 F.2d 1273, 1275 (9th Cir. 1990). If a claimant establishes a prima facie case of disability, 1 the burden shifts to the Commissioner to prove the claimant is able to engage in other substantial 2 gainful employment. Maounis v. Heckler, 738 F.2d 1032, 1034 (9th Cir. 1984). 3 ADMINISTRATIVE DETERMINATION 4 To achieve uniform decisions, the Commissioner established a sequential five-step process for 5 evaluating a claimant’s alleged disability. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(a)(4), 416.920(a)(4). The process 6 requires the ALJ to determine whether Plaintiff (1) is engaged substantial gainful activity, (2) had 7 medically determinable severe impairments (3) that met or equaled one of the listed impairments set 8 forth in 20 C.F.R. § 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1; and whether Plaintiff (4) had the residual functional 9 capacity to perform to past relevant work or (5) the ability to perform other work existing in significant 10 numbers at the state and national level. Id. The ALJ must consider testimonial and objective medical 11 evidence. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1527, 416.927. 12 Pursuant to this five-step process, the ALJ determined Plaintiff did not engage in substantial 13 gainful activity after the alleged onset date of September 2, 2014. (Doc. 15-2 at 26.) Second, the ALJ 14 found Plaintiff has the following severe impairments: “exogenic obesity, left eye blindness since age 15 11, amblyopia of the right eye, neuropathy in the bilateral hands, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, mild 16 degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, and right knee bursitis.” (Id.) The ALJ noted Plaintiff’s 17 friend also reported he had been depressed, but not find “medically determinable mental impairments 18 evidenced in the record.” (Id. at 27.) At step three, the ALJ determined Plaintiff’s impairments did not 19 meet or medically equal a Listing. (Id.) Next, the ALJ found: 20 [T]he claimant has the residual functional capacity to perform light work as defined in 20 CFR 404.1567(b) except he can lift and carry 50 pounds occasionally and 30 21 pounds frequently, stand and walk four hours and sit four hours in an eight hour workday [and] the claimant requires the ability to sit or stand at will. The claimant 22 can occasionally climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl. In addition, the claimant must wear corrective glasses at work for the right eye and he cannot do work 23 requiring binocular vision because he is blind in the left eye.

24 (Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bowen v. Yuckert
482 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Woodford v. Visciotti
537 U.S. 19 (Supreme Court, 2002)
Lynch v. City of Boston
180 F.3d 1 (First Circuit, 1999)
Molina v. Astrue
674 F.3d 1104 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
(SS) Caglia v. Commissioner of Social Security, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ss-caglia-v-commissioner-of-social-security-caed-2021.