(SS) Lao v. Commissioner of Social Security

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedMarch 26, 2024
Docket2:22-cv-02017
StatusUnknown

This text of (SS) Lao v. Commissioner of Social Security ((SS) Lao 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) Lao v. Commissioner of Social Security, (E.D. Cal. 2024).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 CHOR LAO, No. 2:22-cv-02017-CKD 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 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 deny plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment and grant the 23 Commissioner’s cross-motion for summary judgment. 24 BACKGROUND 25 Plaintiff, born in 1958, applied in July 2014 for DIB, alleging disability beginning 26 February 17, 2014. Administrative Transcript (“AT”) 435, 525. Plaintiff alleged he was unable 27 to work due to right ankle, right foot, and back pain, as well as gout. AT 53, 525. In 2016, the 28 ALJ issued an unfavorable decision, finding plaintiff non-disabled. AT 26-35. Plaintiff appealed 1 the decision, and the court remanded the matter for further proceedings, including a second 2 administrative hearing held in September 2019. AT 466-492, 524-534. In a new decision dated 3 November 19, 2019, the ALJ again determined that plaintiff was not disabled.1 AT 428-436. 4 The ALJ made the following findings (citations to 20 C.F.R. omitted): 5 1. The claimant last met the insured status requirements of the Social Security Act on June 30, 2015. 6 2. The claimant did not engage in substantial gainful activity during 7 the period from his alleged onset date of February 17, 2014 through his date last insured of June 30, 2015. 8 3. Through the date last insured, the claimant had the following 9 severe impairments: degenerative disc disease. 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 4. Through the date last insured, the claimant did not have an impairment or combination of impairments that meets or medically 2 equals one of the listed impairments in 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1. 3 5. After careful consideration of the entire record, the undersigned 4 finds that, through the date last insured, the claimant had the residual functional capacity to perform medium work, except he can 5 occasionally stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and climb stairs; he cannot operate a motor vehicle; and he must avoid hazards such as 6 unprotected heights and dangerous moving machinery. 7 6. The claimant was capable of performing past relevant work as a microcomputer support specialist through the date last insured. 8 7. Although the claimant was capable of performing past relevant 9 work through the date last insured, there were other jobs existing in the national economy that he was also able to perform. Therefore the 10 Administrative Law Judge makes the following alternative findings for step five of the sequential evaluation process.2 11 8. The claimant was not under a disability, as defined in the Social 12 Security Act, at any time from February 17, 2014, the alleged onset date, through June 30, 2015, the date last insured. 13

14 AT 430-436. 15 ISSUES PRESENTED 16 Plaintiff argues that the ALJ committed the following errors in finding plaintiff not 17 disabled: (1) the ALJ erred in finding that plaintiff could perform past relevant work as a 18 microcomputer support specialist; (2) the RFC should have included mental limitations based on 19 depression; (3) the ALJ erred in evaluating the medical opinions; (4) the ALJ erred in discounting 20 plaintiff’s subjective symptom testimony; and (5) the ALJ erred in applying the Medical 21 Vocational Guidelines to find plaintiff not disabled. 22 LEGAL STANDARDS 23 The court reviews the Commissioner’s decision to determine whether (1) it is based on 24 proper legal standards pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), and (2) substantial evidence in the record 25 as a whole supports it. Tackett v. Apfel, 180 F.3d 1094, 1097 (9th Cir. 1999). Substantial 26 2 The ALJ found that the claimant was born in 1958 and was 56 years old; he was not able to 27 communicate in English; and, given his age, education, work experience, and residual functional capacity (RFC), he could perform medium-exertion jobs such as hand packager and laundry 28 worker. AT 435-436. 1 evidence is more than a mere scintilla, but less than a preponderance. Connett v. Barnhart, 340 2 F.3d 871, 873 (9th Cir. 2003) (citation omitted). It means “such relevant evidence as a reasonable 3 mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Orn v. Astrue, 495 F.3d 625, 630 (9th 4 Cir. 2007), quoting Burch v.

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Related

Bowen v. Yuckert
482 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Rossetti v. Curran
80 F.3d 1 (First Circuit, 1996)
Tommasetti v. Astrue
533 F.3d 1035 (Ninth Circuit, 2008)
Orn v. Astrue
495 F.3d 625 (Ninth Circuit, 2007)
Karen Lambert v. Andrew Saul
980 F.3d 1266 (Ninth Circuit, 2020)
Lester v. Chater
81 F.3d 821 (Ninth Circuit, 1995)
Tackett v. Apfel
180 F.3d 1094 (Ninth Circuit, 1999)
Bunnell v. Sullivan
947 F.2d 341 (Ninth Circuit, 1991)

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(SS) Lao v. Commissioner of Social Security, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ss-lao-v-commissioner-of-social-security-caed-2024.