N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT DELPHIA R

AY, Pla i ntiff-Appe lla

nt, v. NANC Y A. B ERR

YHILL, Ac ting C om m issione r Soc ia l Se c urity , De fe nda n t-Appe l le e . No. 16-15748 D.C . No. 1:14-c v-01039-EPG M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Ea ste rn Distric t of C a lifornia Eric a P. Grosje an, M a gistra t e Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d Oc tobe r 11, 2017 * * Sa n Fran c isc o , C a lifornia B e fore : O’ SC A

N NLAIN a nd B YB EE, C irc uit Judge s, a nd M AHAN, *** Distric t Judge . 

# FIL ED OCT 25 2017 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public a t ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by Ninth C irc uit R

ule 36-3.

* * The pa

ne l una nim ously c onc lude s this c a se is suita ble for de c ision without ora l a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a )(2).

* * * The Honora

ble Ja m e s C . M aha

n, Unite d State s Distric t Judge for the Distric t of Ne va d a , sitting by de signa tion.De lphia R ay a ppe a ls the distric t c ourt’ s de nia l of he r a ppe a l from

the de c ision of a

n Adm inistra

tive La w Judge , de ny ing Disa

bility Insura n c e B e n e fits and Supple m e nta

ry Se c urity Inc om e . Two re ports by an e xam ining psy c hiatrist unde rlie this a

ppe a l. A 2011 report c onc lude d tha t R ay ha s no limita

tions to work, but a 2013 re p ort c onc lude d tha t she ha s two limi tations. On re vie w , a State a ge nc y phy sic ia

n re je c te d the 2013 re port’ s c onc lusions. The ALJ a gre e d a

nd disc ounte d the 2013 re p o rt in he r ana ly sis of R ay ’ s R e s idua l Func tiona l C a pa c ity . R ay argue s tha

t the ALJ im

prope rly disc ounte d the 2013 re p ort by not providing “ spe c ific , le gitim a te re a sons [for doing so] . . . ba se d on substa ntia l e vide nc e in the re c ord.” Orn v . Astrue , 495 F.3d 625, 632 (9th C ir. 2007). W e re vie w only

the re a s ons a sse rte d by

the ALJ. Id . a t 630. The 2013 re port c onc lude d tha t R ay is “ una ble to m a inta in a

tte ntion a nd c onc e ntration to c a

rry out sim ple job instruc tions.” The ALJ disc ounte d this c onc lusion with spe c ific , le gitim a te re a sons supporte d by substa ntia l e vide nc e . The ALJ re lie d on the State a ge nc y phy sic ia n’ s finding tha

t the re port wa s inte rna lly inc onsiste nt. The re p ort is inc onsiste nt be c a use of the unqua lifie d, unc onditiona l, a

nd a bsolute nature of its c onc lusions. Tha t R ay a ske d the psy c hiatrist to repe a t the digits, a nd tha t she e rre d som e what while re c iting the m ba c kwa rds, m ay show tha t he r a tte ntion a

nd c onc e n t

ra tion de fic its might m a ke it 2diffic u lt to follow instruc tions or might m a ke a

pe rfe c t pe rform anc e unlike ly on he r first try . Inste a d, with no a na ly sis, e xpla

na tion, or qua lific a tion, the 2013 re port c onc lude d tha

t R ay ’ s atte ntion a

nd c onc e ntration de fic its a re so se ve re tha

t she is una ble to “ c arry

out sim ple job instruc tions.” This is a t odds with R

ay ’ s a ppa re nt a bility to c arry out the m any

sim ple instruc tions tha

t the psy c hiat

rist ga ve throughout the

e xam i na tion, a lbe it with oc c a siona l e rror or diffic ulty . M ore ove r, a s the distric t

c ourt obse rve d, e ve n if the 2013 re p ort is not ne c e ssa rily inte rna lly inc o nsiste nt, the ALJ ga

ve spe c ific , le g itim a te re a s ons for a ffording gre a t e r we ight to the c ontra

ry re port of the Sta te a ge nc y phy sic ia n, whic h wa s supporte d by and m ore c onsiste nt with the re c ord a s a whole . The 2013 re port a lso c onc lude d tha t R ay is “ una ble to re l a te and inte ra c t with c oworke rs, supe rvisors, a nd the ge ne ra l public .” The ALJ disc ounte d this c onc lusion with spe c ific , le gitim a te re a sons supporte d by substa ntia l e vide nc e . The ALJ re lie d on the State a ge nc y phy sic ia n’ s finding tha

t R ay ha s only m ode ra te soc i a l lim ita

tions, whic h is m ore c onsiste n t with there c ord tha n the 2013 re port’ s unqua lifie d a

nd unre a sone d c onc lusion. The ALJ did not err in disc ounting the unre a sone d a

nd inc onsiste nt opinion that R ay ’ s atte ntion a

n d soc ia l de fic its m a ke he r una ble to work. The distric t c ourt orde r is AFFIRM E D . 3