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 by9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2). 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 L E AN NI A D . C OWE N, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. C OMMI S S I ON E R OF S OC I AL S E C UR I T Y, D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 08- 17641 D . C . N o . 2 : 0 7 -cv -0 1 1 3 8 -K JM 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 E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia K i m be r l yJ . M ue l l e r , M a gi s tr a t e J udge , P r e s i di ng

S ubm i tt e d O c t obe r6, 2010 ** S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H U G , R Y M E R an d N . R . S M IT H , C i rcu i tJu d g es. 

# FI LED OC T 22 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSP age 2 of 4

L e a nni aC ow e n appe a l s the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de c i s i on a f f i rm i ng the A d m in is tr a tiv e L a w J u d g e ’s ( “A L J ” ) d e n ia l o f h e rap p lic a tio n f

o rd is ab ility i n s u r a n c e b e n e f

i t s . We h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U. S . C . § 1 2 9 1 , a n dwe a f f irm . 1. T he A L J properl y r el i ed on C ow en’ s pri or i ncon si st entst at em ent s abo uther i l l i c i tdrug us e , f

a c tua l c ontr a di c t i ons r e gar di ng he rphy s i c a l l i m i t a t i ons , l a c k of m ed ical ev id en ce an d trea tm en t reg im en , an dd aily ac ti v it ies to fin dC o w en ’s t e s t i m onyw a s notc r e di bl e . T he A L J ’ s r e a s oni ng i s s upport e d bythe r e c or d a nd b a s e d o n a c c e p tab le f

a c to r s . See Sm ol en v. Cha ter , 80 F . 3d 12 73 , 12 84 (9th C i r. 1996) ; S oc . S e c . R ul i ng 96- 7p. T he A L Jthus s a t i s f i e d the “ c l e a ra nd c onvi nc i ng” s ta n d a r d f

o rr e je c tin g ac la im a n t’s te s tim o n y . See D o dr ill v . Sh a la la , 12 F . 3d 915, 9 1 8 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 3 ) . 2. C ow e n’ s i m pa i rm e nt s m us tm e e tore qua l both pa rt s A a nd B of L i s t i ng 1 2 .0 4 f o rh e rto b e p r e s u m p tiv e lyd is ab le du n d e rth a t L is tin g . See 20 C . F . R . P art 40 4, S ub pt . P , A pp . 12 . 04 . S ub st ant i al evi dence s up po rt s the A L J’ s f i nd i ng that C ow e n’ s i m pa i rm e nt s di d notm e e tore qua l pa rtB , w hi c h r e qui r e s “ m a rke d” lim ita tio n s in tw o o f

f o u rlis te d lif

e a c tiv itie s . See 2 0 C. F. R. Pa rt4 0 4 , Su b p t . P, A pp . 12 . 04 (B ). “ M arked” i s def i ned as “ m ore than m od er at e, bu tl es s than e xtr e m e . ” 20 C . F . R . P a rt404, S ubpt . P , A pp. 12. 00( C ) . B oth doc t or s w hoT he G A F s c or e ( a s am e thod f ore va l ua t i ng the s e ve r i tyof 1 im p a irm e n ts ) h a s b e e n s p e c if ic a llyr e je c te db yth e S o c ia l S e c u r ityA d m in is tr a tio n . 6 5 F e d . R e g . 5 0 7 4 6 , 5 0 7 6 4 - 6 5 ( A u g . 2 1 , 2 0 0 0 ) .

C ow e n w a i ve d he ra r gum e nt s r e ga r di ng L i s t i ngs 1. 02, 12. 04( C ) a nd 2 1 2 .0 5 ( C ) b yn o t r a is in g th e s e a r g u m e n ts to th e d is tr ic t c o u rt. See W arre v. C om m ’r of Soc . Se c . A dm i n. , 4 3 9 F .3 d 1 0 0 1 , 1 0 0 7 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 6 ) ; E d lu n d v. M a ssa n a ri , 253 F . 3d 1152, 1158 & n. 7, 1160 n. 9 ( 9th C i r . 2001) . C ow e n m a de no m e nt i on of L i st i ng s 1. 02 or 12 . 05 i n any of her pl ea di ng s or bri ef s t o the di stri ctcourt . In a ddi t i on, a l though C ow e n r a i s e d a nd a r gue d tha ts he m e tore qua l e d L i s t i ng 12. 04 t o th e d i stri ctco u rt , h er arg u m en to n l y ad d ressed p art s A an dB an dd i dn o tad d ress p a rtC. P age 3 of 4 pe r f orm e d aps y c hol ogi c a l e va l ua t i on of C ow e n c onc l ude d tha ts he c oul d f unc t i on s oc i a l l ya nd i n aw ork e nvi r onm e nt . T he r e c or d r e f l e c t s tha tC ow e n’ s tr e a t i ng ph ys i ci an no t ed her “ depres si on i s doi ng w el l . ” C ow en’ s r el i ance on the G l ob al A s s e s s m e n t F u n c tio n in g ( “G A F ” ) s c o r e o f 5 5 - 6 0 a s s ig n e db yo n e d o c to ris m is p la c e d . E v e n if

th e G A F w a s a c c e p te da s am e th o do f e v a lu a tin g th e s e v e r ity of i m pa i rm e nt s , C ow e n a dm i t s i n he rr e pl ybr i e f tha the rG A F s c or e of

55- 60 1 i n d i cat es m o d erat e d i ffi cu l ty i n so ci al an do ccu p at i o n al fu n ct i o n i n g . B ecau se

“ m od er at e” l i m i t at i on i s l es s than “ m arked” l i m i t at i on , the A L J had subst ant i al e vi de nc e t o f

i nd C ow e n di d notm e e tore qua l pa rtB of L i s t i ng 12. 04. 2 3. T he A L Jdi d note rra tS t e p 5 of the di s abi l i tya na l y s i s . F i r s t , be c aus e the A L Jp r o p e r lyd is c r e d ite d C o w e n ’s te s tim o n y , th e A L Jh a ds u b s ta n tia l e v id e n c e in the form of the re m ai ni ng m edi ca l re cords i nd i ca t i ng C ow en coul d p er formP age 4 of 4

m e d iu m e x e rtio n a l w o rk . S e c o n d , th e A L Js p e c if ic a llyf o u n dC o w e n ’s c ap a c ity f o rm e d iu m w o rkw a s n o t s ig n if ic a n tlyd im in is h e db yh e rn o n e x e rtio n a l ( m e n ta l) l i mi t a t i o n s o f

l i mi t e d p u b l i c c o n t a c ta n du n s k i l l e de n try - l e v e l wo rk . I f a n ALJ f in d s ac la im a n t’s “n o n e x e rtio n a l lim ita tio n s d o n o t s ig n if ic a n tlya f

f e c t h is e xe rt i ona l c apabi l i t i e s , ” the A L Jm a yus e the m e di c a l - voc a t i ona l gui de l i ne s ( “ the g r id s ” ) in lie u o f

c a llin g av o c a tio n a l e x p e rt. Se e B ate s v . Sul l i v an , 894 F . 2d 1059, 1 0 6 3 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 0 ) , ov e rr ule d on othe rgr ounds by B unne l l v . Sul l i v an , 947 F . 2d 341 ( 9th C i r . 1991) ( e n banc ) . T he r e f or e , the A L Jc orr e c t l yus e d the gr i ds t o f i nd th a t C o w e n w a s n o t d is ab le d , a n d in s te a d , c o u ldp e r f o rm jo b s th a t e x is t in s u f f ic ie n t n u m b e r s in th e n a tio n a l e c o n o m y . A F F I R M E D .