(SS) Davis v. Commissioner of Social Security

District Court, E.D. California·Decided September 16, 2021·No. 2:20-cv-01197·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 JAMES JOHN DAVIS, No. 2:20-cv-01197 CKD (SS) 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 KILOLO KAJIKAZI, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, 15 Defendant. 16

17 18 Plaintiff seeks judicial review of a final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security 19 (“Commissioner”) denying an application for Disability Income Benefits (“DIB”) under Title II 20 of the Social Security Act (“Act”). The parties have consented to Magistrate Judge jurisdiction to 21 conduct all proceedings in the case, including the entry of final judgment. For the reasons 22 discussed below, the court will grant plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and deny the 23 Commissioner’s cross-motion for summary judgment. 25 Plaintiff, born in 1961, worked from 1995 through 2008 as a truck driver and supervisor at 26 two trucking companies. Administrative Transcript (“AT”) 476-477. He applied on May 22, 27 2014 for DIB, alleging disability beginning November 21, 2008. AT 17, 477. Plaintiff alleged he 28 was unable to work due to type 2 diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and low back pain. AT 212, 1 215. In a decision dated November 2, 2016, the ALJ determined that plaintiff was not disabled.1 2 AT 17-26. After a district court remand to consider additional evidence, a different ALJ issued a 3 decision dated April 3, 2020, again finding plaintiff not disabled. AT 465-478. Plaintiff 4 challenges the 2020 decision in the instant case. 5 The ALJ made the following findings (citations to 20 C.F.R. omitted): 6 1. The claimant meets the insured status requirements of the Social Security Act through December 31, 2023. 7 2. The claimant engaged in substantial gainful activity during the 8 following periods: April 1, 2016 to the present. 9 3. However, there has been a continuous 12-month period(s) during which the claimant did not engage in substantial gainful activity. The 10 1 Disability Insurance Benefits are paid to disabled persons who have contributed to the 11 Social Security program, 42 U.S.C. § 401 et seq. Supplemental Security Income is paid to 12 disabled persons with low income. 42 U.S.C. § 1382 et seq. Both provisions define disability, in part, as an “inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity” due to “a medically 13 determinable physical or mental impairment. . . .” 42 U.S.C. §§ 423(d)(1)(a) & 1382c(a)(3)(A). A parallel five-step sequential evaluation governs eligibility for benefits under both programs. 14 See 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520, 404.1571-76, 416.920 & 416.971-76; Bowen v. Yuckert, 482 U.S. 137, 140-142, 107 S. Ct. 2287 (1987). The following summarizes the sequential evaluation: 15 Step one: Is the claimant engaging in substantial gainful 16 activity? If so, the claimant is found not disabled. If not, proceed to step two. 17 Step two: Does the claimant have a “severe” impairment? If 18 so, proceed to step three. If not, then a finding of not disabled is appropriate. 19 Step three: Does the claimant’s impairment or combination 20 of impairments meet or equal an impairment listed in 20 C.F.R., Pt. 404, Subpt. P, App.1? If so, the claimant is automatically determined 21 disabled. If not, proceed to step four. 22 Step four: Is the claimant capable of performing his past work? If so, the claimant is not disabled. If not, proceed to step five. 23 Step five: Does the claimant have the residual functional 24 capacity to perform any other work? If so, the claimant is not disabled. If not, the claimant is disabled. 25

Lester v. Chater, 81 F.3d 821, 828 n.5 (9th Cir. 1995). 26

27 The claimant bears the burden of proof in the first four steps of the sequential evaluation process. Bowen, 482 U.S. at 146 n.5, 107 S. Ct. at 2294 n.5. The Commissioner bears the 28 burden if the sequential evaluation process proceeds to step five. Id. 1 remaining findings address the period prior to April 1, 2016 in which the claimant did not engage in substantial gainful activity. 2 4. The claimant has the following severe impairments: diabetes with 3 peripheral neuropathy, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and lumbago. 4 5. The claimant does not have an impairment or combination of 5 impairments that meets or medically equals one of the listed impairments in 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1. 6 6. After careful consideration of the entire record, the undersigned 7 finds that the claimant has the residual functional capacity to perform medium work, except he cannot climb ladders, ropes, or scaffolds. 8 He can frequently climb ramps and stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl. He cannot work at heights and must avoid 9 concentrated exposure to operating heavy machinery, including driving. 10 7. The claimant is unable to perform any past relevant work. 11 8. The claimant was born on XX/XX/1961, which is defined as a 12 younger individual 18-49 on the alleged disability onset date. The claimant subsequently changed age category to closely approaching 13 advanced age through March 31, 2016. 14 9. The claimant has at least a high-school education and is able to communicate in English. 15 10. Transferability of job skills is not material to the determination 16 of disability because using the Medical-Vocational Rules as a framework supports a finding that the claimant is ‘not disabled,’ 17 whether or not the claimant has transferable job skills. 18 11. Considering the claimant’s age, education, work experience, and residual functional capacity, there are jobs that exist in significant 19 numbers in the national economy that the claimant can perform. 20 12. The claimant has not been under a disability, as defined in the Social Security Act, from November 21, 2008 through the date of 21 this decision.

22 AT 467-478. 23 The ALJ relied on vocational expert (VE) testimony that plaintiff would be able to 24 perform the requirements of medium, unskilled occupations such as scrap sorter, kitchen helper, 25 and meat clerk. AT 477. 26 //// 27 //// 28 //// 2 Plaintiff argues that the ALJ committed the following errors in finding plaintiff not 3 disabled: (1) the ALJ erroneously found that plaintiff engaged in substantial gainful activity after 4 April 1, 2016; (2) the ALJ erroneously discounted the opinion of a treating physician; and (3) the 5 ALJ erroneously discounted plaintiff’s subjective symptom testimony. 7 The court reviews the Commissioner’s decision to determine whether (1) it is based on 8 proper legal standards pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), and (2) substantial evidence in the record 9 as a whole supports it. Tackett v. Apfel, 180 F.3d 1094, 1097 (9th Cir. 1999). Substantial 10 evidence is more than a mere scintilla, but less than a preponderance. Connett v. Barnhart, 340 11 F.3d 871, 873 (9th Cir. 2003) (citation omitted).

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