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 a nd 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.

T he H onor abl e F r e de r i c k J . S c ul l i n, J r . , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge ** f orthe N or the rn D i s tr i c tof N e w Y or k, 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 KA R AP E T GA S P AR YA N, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. M I C H A E L J . A S T R U E , C om m i s s i one rof 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. 09- 55189 D . C . N o . 2 : 0 7 -cv -0 3 2 6 8 -P JW 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 C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia P a tr i c k J . W a l s h, M a gi s tr a t e J udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d A pr i l 9, 2010 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B e f o r e : S I L VE R MAN a n d GR AB E R , C i r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n d S C UL L I N, D i stri ct ** Judg e. K a r ape tG a s pa ry a n appe a l s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s or de ra f f i rm i ng the C om m i ss i on er ’ s det erm i nat i on thathe i s notdi sabl ed. W e have j uri sdi ct i on un der 

# FI LED MA Y04 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS- 2-

28 U . S . C . § 1291 a nd r e ve r s e a nd r e m a nd t o the A L J f orf ur the rde ve l opm e ntof the a dm i ni s tr a t i ve r e c or d. T he A L J a f

f or de d m i ni m a l w e i ghtt o the opi ni ons of G a s pa ry a n’ s tr e a t i ng ph ys i ci ans, al l of w ho m agre ed thathe has am aj or depres si ve di sorderthat pr e c l ude s hi m f

r om w or ki ng. T he A L J ’ s pr i m a ry r e a s on f ordoi ng s o w a s the abse nce of r eport s f

or obj ec t i ve t es t s thatthe tre at i ng ph ys i ci ans s peci fi ca l l y s t at ed the y ha d pe r f

or m e d. I n pa r t i c ul a r , the A L J f ound tha tthe r e port s f

orva r i ous obj ec t i ve t es t s, i ncl ud i ng a C T sc an show i ng “ m i l d cer ebra l and cere bel l ar atroph y, ” w er e m i ss i ng fr om D r. Ja no i an’ s tre atm entre cords. A l so m i ss i ng w er e the re po rt s f

or tw o o bj ec t i ve t es t s per form ed by D r. T aubenfel d thati nd i ca t ed o rg an ic b ra in d am ag e: th e “B en d er -G es talttask ” a n d th e “W M S -R .” D r. L ev in ’s re po rtal so cont ai ned an o bj ec t i ve fi nd i ng no tevi denced i n the re cord. S he st at ed tha tG a s pa ry a n ha d e xpe r i e nc e d thr e e e pi s ode s of de c om pe ns a t i on i n a tw e l ve m o n th p e r io d , e a c h la s tin g a t le a s t tw o w e e k s . G asp aryan arg u es th atth e A L J h ad a d u ty t o co n t acth i s d o ct o rs t o req u est the m i ss i ng re cords. A l tho ug h h e di d n otpres entthi s a rgum entt o the di stri ct co u rt , w e h av e d i scret i o n t o co n si d er i tb ecau se i ti s a l eg al i ssu e th atd o es n o trest on evi dence out si de the adm i ni stra t i ve re cord and the C om m i ss i on erhad an- 3-

o p p o r tu n ity to r e s p o n d to th e a r g u m e n t o n ap p e a l. See Si lve i ra v. Apf el , 204 F . 3d 1 2 5 7 , 1 2 6 0 n .8 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ) ( p e rc u r ia m ) . “A m b ig u o u s e v id e n c e , o rth e A L J ’s o w n f in d in g th a t th e r e c o r d is in a d e q u a te to a llo w f

o rp r o p e re v a lu a tio n o f

th e e v id e n c e , tr ig g e r s th e A L J ’s d u ty t o ‘ cond uctan approp ri at e i nq ui ry . ’ ” T on ap et yan v. H al ter , 242 F . 3d 1144, 1150 ( 9th C i r . 2001) ( quot i ng Sm ol en v. Cha ter , 80 F . 3d 12 73 , 12 88 (9th C i r. 19 96 )) . T he A L J a nd A ppe a l s C ounc i l di s c ount e d e a c h of the tr e a t i ng phy s i c i a ns ’ opi ni ons b e c a u s e th e tr e a tm e n t r e c o r d s th e y s u p p lie d d id n o t c o n ta in th e s p e c if ic te s t r e s u lts o ro b je c tiv e e v id e n c e c ite d in th e irr e p o r ts . T h e A L J th e r e f o r e h a d a d u ty to c o n d u c t a n ap p r o p r ia te in q u iry in to th e e x is te n c e o f s u c h r e c o r d s . Se e T

onape t y an , 2 4 2 F .3 d a t 1 1 5 0 ( “T h e A L J m a y d is c h a r g e [ th e d u ty to c o n d u c t a n ap p r o p r ia te i n q u i ry] i n sev eral w ays, i n cl u d i n g : su b p o en ai n g th e cl ai m an t ’ s p h ysi ci an s, s ubm i tt i ng que s t i ons t o the c l a i m a nt ’ s phy s i c i a ns , c ont i nui ng the he a r i ng, or ke e pi ng the r e c or d ope n a f t e rthe he a r i ng t o a l l ow s uppl e m e nt a t i on of the re cord. ”) ; Sm ol en , 80 F . 3d a t1288 ( “ I f the A L J [ thi nks ] he ne e d[ s ] t o know the b a s is o f [ c e r ta in p h y s ic ia n s ’] o p in io n s in o r d e rto e v a lu a te th e m , h e [ h a s ] a d u ty to c onduc ta n appr opr i a t e i nqui ry , f ore xa m pl e , by s ubpoe na i ng the phy s i c i a ns or subm i tt i ng further quest i on s t o them . ”) .- 4-

T he A L J di d notc onduc ta n appr opr i a t e i nqui ry i nt o the e xi s t e nc e of the r e c or ds he s pe c i f

i c a l l y i de nt i f

i e d a s m i s s i ng. R a the r , he s i m pl y di s c r e di t e d the do ct ors’ op i ni on s. W e m ustthere fore re m and for the A L J t o con du ctan ap p ro p riate in q u iry in to th e m issin g re co rd s. A t o ra l arg u m en t, P etit io n er ’s co u n sel ex p ressed so m e d o u b tab o u tth e co n t i n u i n g av ai l ab i l i ty o f th e reco rd s, gi ven thatthe A L J’ s dec i si on w as re nd er ed nearl y three ye ar s a go . W hatm att er s on re m and i s notw hether the re cords a re pres ent l y a vai l abl e, bu tw hether they e x is te d a t th e tim e o f

G a s p a ry a n ’s o r ig in a l h e a r in g , w h e n th e A L J h a d a d u ty to c onduc ta n appr opr i a t e i nqui ry , a nd w he the rornotthe y s uppor tthe tr e a t i ng d o c to r s ’ o p in io n s . T he A L J a l so erre d i n tw o add i t i on al w ay s. F i rs t , the A L J’ s f i nd i ng that G a s pa ry a n’ s de pr e s s i on di d nota m ountt o a “ s e ve r e ” i m pa i rm e nta ts t e p tw o of the a n a ly s is is n o t s u p p o r te d b y s u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . See W eb b v. B a rn h a rt , 433 F . 3d 683, 687 ( 9th C i r . 2005) ( hol di ng tha tthe s e ve r i ty r e qui r e m e nta ts t e p tw o “ i s a de m i ni m i s s c r e e ni ng de vi c e us e d t o di s pos e of gr oundl e s s c l a i m s ” ( br a c ke t s a nd i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a r ks om i tt e d) ) . S e c ond, the A L J m a de f a c tua l e rr or s , i nc l udi ng the s t a t e m e nt s tha tG a s pa ry a n ha d nots oughtm e nt a l he a l th tr e a tm e nts i nc e J une 2 0 0 6 an d th atth e reco rd co n t ai n ed o n l y o n e b ack x -ray.- 5-

F orthos e r e a s ons , w e R E V E R S E a nd R E M A N D f orf ur the rde ve l opm e ntof the r e c or d by the A L J a nd a ne w di s abi l i ty de t e rm i na t i on.