T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R ul e 36- 3.

T he H onor abl e C l audi aW i l ke n, U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tC ourtJ udge f or ** the N orthe rn D i s tr i c tof C a l i f orni a , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T B R E T T S C H MA S O W, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. M IC H A E L J. A S T R U E , C om m i ss i on er S oc i a l S e c ur i ty A dm i ni s tr a t i on, D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 10- 35277 D. C . No . 4 : 0 9 - c v - 0 0 0 6 5 - S E HR KS ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe D i s tr i c tof

M ont a na S a m E . H a ddon, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d N ove m be r4, 2010

S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B ef ore: B . F L E T C H E R and B Y B E E , C i rc ui tJudg es , and W IL K E N , D i stri ctC ou rt Judg e. ** B re ttS chm as ow appeal s the di stri ctcourt ’ s dec i si on af fi rm i ng an a dm i ni s tr a t i ve l a w j udge ’ s ( A L J ) t e rm i na t i on of di s abi l i ty be ne f

i t s a f t e rf i ndi ng a 

# FI LED NO V 17 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSP age 2 of 4

c lo s e d p e r io d o f

d is ab ilityf

r o m S e p te m b e r1 , 2 0 0 6 to F e b ru a ry 2 5 , 2 0 0 8 . S chm as ow ar gu es thatthe evi dence di d n otes t abl i sh m edi ca l i m prov em entre l at ed t o hi s abi l i ty t o e nga ge i n s ubs t a nt i a l ga i nf ul a c t i vi ty . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on pu rs uantt o 2 8 U . S . C . § 1 29 1, and revers e. T he A L J ’ s de c i s i on m us tbe uphe l d i f s upport e d by s ubs t a nt i a l e vi de nc e a nd if th e A L Jap p lie d th e c o rr e c t le g a l s ta n d a r d s . H o w a rd ex r e l. W

o lff v. B a rn h a rt , 34 1 F . 3d 10 06 , 10 11 (9th C i r. 20 03 ). S ub st ant i al evi dence i s m ore than a m er e s c in tillab u t le s s th a n ap r e p o n d e r a n c e . I d. a t1011 ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks om i tt e d) . “ [ A ] r e vi e w i ng c ourtm us tc ons i de rthe r e c or d a s aw hol e a nd m a y not a f f irm s im p lyb y is o la tin g as p e c if ic q u a n tu m o f

s u p p o rtin g e v id e n c e . R ob bi ns v. So c . Se c . A dm in , 466 F . 3d 880, 882 ( 9th C i r . 2006) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks o m itte d ) . E v e ry o n e a g r e e s th a tS c h m a s o w’ s m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n i m p r o v e d o v e rth e two y e a rp e r io d . See P O M S D I 28010. 105. D r . H i nde ’ s F e brua ry 26, 2008 tr e a tm e nt no t e s t at es thatS chm as ow ’ s c on di t i on had st abi l i ze d. B utno thi ng sugg es t s that S chm as ow then h ad the abi l i ty t o eng age i n sub st ant i al gai nful ac t i vi ty. D r. H in d e’s F eb ru ary 2 0 0 8 trea tm en t n o te is, at b es t, eq u iv o ca l ab o u t S ch m as o w ’s ab ilityto w o rk , n o tin g h is c o n tin u in g im p a irm e n ts a n d a d v is in g h im to r e v is it di s abi l i ty i f

notappr ove d f

orbe ne f i t s . N e i the rD r . S c hof

i e l d norD r . K ukaP age 3 of 4

p ro v id ed su b stan ti al ev id en ce to su p p o rt th e A L J’s a ss es sm en t o f S ch m as o w ’s ph ys i ca l abi l i t i es . N ei ther of them exam i ned S chm as ow and n ei ther i dent i fi ed s p e c if ic e v id e n c e in D r . H in d e ’s n o te s to s u p p o rt th e iro p in io n s . See R yan v. C om m ’rof

So c. Sec. , 5 2 8 F .3 d 1 1 9 4 , 1 2 0 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 8 ) ; 2 0 C .F .R . § 40 4. 15 27 (d)( 3). T he A L Ja l s o i m pr ope r l y di s c r e di t e d S c hm a s ow ’ s t e s t i m ony aboutthe e xt e nta nd i nt e ns i ty of

hi s i m pa i rm e nt s , pa rt i c ul a r l y hi s i nabi l i ty t o w a l k a nd s t a nd f orl ong pe r i ods of

t i m e . S c hm a s ow ’ s a c t i vi t i e s of da i l y l i vi ng di d notpr ovi de cl ear and conv i nci ng re as on s t o d i sc ou nthi s t es t i m on y abo uthi s physi ca l lim ita tio n s . Se e L i nge nf e l te rv . A s tr ue , 5 0 4 F .3 d 1 0 2 8 , 1 0 3 6 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 7 ) ; O rn v . A s tr ue , 4 9 5 F .3 d 6 2 5 , 6 3 9 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 7 ) . O n th e c u rr en t rec o rd , th e A L J s h o u ldh av e f o u n d th at S ch m as o w ’s di sabi l i ty c on t i nu ed pastF ebruary25 , 20 08 . A tthe heari ng , the vo ca t i on al expert t e s t i f i e d tha ti f

the A L Jc r e di t e d S c hm a s ow ’ s t e s t i m ony , S c hm a s ow w oul d be pr e c l ude d f

r om pe r f orm i ng l i ght , uns ki l l e d w ork and sed en t ary, u n sk i l l ed j o b s. W he r e the r e c or d e s t abl i s he s tha tc l a i m a ntc oul d notpe r f orm e ve n s e de nt a ry w ork,N othi ng i n o ur order prec l ud es the C om m i ss i on er , atsom e f uture t i m e, 1 f r om i ni t i a t i ng pr oc e e di ngs t o r e vi e w S c hm a s ow ' s c ont i nue d e l i gi bi l i ty f or d is ab ilityb e n e f

its . See 20 C . F . R . §§ 220. 176, 220. 180.

P age 4 of 4 th ere i s n o n eed fo r fu rth er p ro ceed i n g s. See R eddi ck v. Cha ter , 157 F . 3d 715, 1 7 2 8 - 2 9 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ) . W e R E V E R S E a n d R E M A N D w ith in s tru c tio n s to th e d is tr ic t c o u rt to rem an d t o th e A L J fo r an aw ard o f b en efi t s.