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 . 36- 3.

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endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 09- 55794 D . C. N o . 3 : 0 8 - c v - 0 0 8 9 0 - D M SBL M 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 o rth e S o u th e rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia D a naM . S abr a w , 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 J une 11, 2010 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: T R O T T and W . F L E T C H E R , C i rc ui tJudg es , and M A H A N , D i stri ct Judg e. ** 

# FI LED JU N 21 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

L oni V l a s i s appe a l s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s gr a ntof the gove rnm e nt ’ s m ot i on f or sum m ary j ud gm enton her c l ai m thatthe adm i ni stra t i ve l aw j ud ge (“ A L J” ) i m pr ope r l y de ni e d he rappl i c a t i on f ordi s abi l i ty be ne f

i t s unde rT i t l e X V I of

the S o ci al S ecu ri ty A ct . W e rev erse an d rem an d fo r an aw ard o f b en efi t s. B o th o f V la s is ’s tr e a tin g p h y s ic ia n s o p in e d th a t s h e w a s m a rk e d ly lim ite d in h e rab ility to c o m p le te an o rm a l w o rk w e e k , to g e t a lo n g w ith c o w o rk e r s , to re spon d app ropri at el y t o chang es i n the w ork sett i ng , and t o p er form ac t i vi t i es w ith in as c h e d u le . T h e r e f o r e , th e A L J h a d to p r o v id e s p e c if ic a n dle g itim a te re as on s, supp ort ed by subst ant i al evi dence, for di sc ou nt i ng tho se op i ni on s. S ee L e s t e rv. C ha t e r , 81 F . 3d 821, 830 ( 9th C i r . 1995) . C ontr a ry t o the A L J ’ s de c i s i on, the opi ni ons of

D r . B uc he rta nd D r . D onne l l y w e r e nots uf f i c i e nt l y r e butt e d by the t est i fyi n g m ed i cal ex p ert . T h e m ed i cal ex p ert ’ s p ap er rev i ew o f th e d o ct o rs’ treatm en tn o t es fai l s t o o v erco m e th e si g n i fi can tw ei g h tth i s co u rtaffo rd s t o th o se m edi ca l profes si on al s w ho se e the pat i enton a r egul arbasi s and can thu s m ore accu rat el y d et erm i n e th e p at i en t ’ s w o rkl i m i t at i o n s. W e h a v e d is c r e tio n w h e th e rto r e m a n dth e c a s e f o ra d d itio n a l e v id e n c e o rto a w a r d be ne f

i t s . S w e ns on v. S ul l i va n, 876 F . 2d 683, 689 ( 9th C i r . 1989) . T he voc a t i ona l e xpe rtt e s t i f

i e d tha tthe l i m i t a t i ons de s c r i be d by the tr e a t i ng phy s i c i a ns w oul d r e nde rV l a s i s i nc apabl e of pe r f orm i ng a ny w ork. T he r e f or e , the r e a r e no3

o u ts ta n d in g is s u e s to b e r e s o lv e d th a t w o u ld p r e c lu d e u s f r o m m a k in g ad is ab ility det erm i nat i on . B ec ause the tre at i ng ph ys i ci ans’ op i ni on s i n thi s c as e are co n tro l l i n g , w e rev erse an d rem an d fo r an aw ard o f b en efi t s. RE V E RS E D a n d RE MAND E D.