N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
JOSEPH P. C ASTR O,

Pla i ntiff -Appe lla

nt,
v. NANC Y A. B ERR

YHILL, Ac ting C om m issione r of Soc i a l Se c urity , De fe nda n t-Appe l le e No . 16-15644
D.C . No. 1:14-c v-01434-JLT
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 J e nnife r L. Thurston, M a gistra te Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d

Nove m b e r 14, 2017 ** San Fran c isc o , C a lifornia B e fore : C LIFTON a

nd FR IEDLAND, C irc uit Judge s , a nd SESSIONS *** , Distric t Judge
. 

# FIL ED
N OV 16 2017 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U

. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent ex cept as provided by

Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.

** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See F e d. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).

*** The Honorable W illiam K. Sessions I I I , District J u d g e for the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, sittingby desig nation.Jose ph C a stro is se e king disa bility insura n c e be ne fits a

nd supple m e nta l
soc i a l se c urity

inc o m e on the ba sis of c hronic ba c k pa in, a he art c ondition, a nd de pre s sion. An ALJ denie d M r. C a stro be ne fits, a nd on judic ia l re v i e w the distric t
c ourt a ffirm e d. W e re vie w the distric t c ourt’ s orde r de novo, a nd the ALJ’ s de c ision for substa

ntia l e vide nc e an d le ga l e rror. M ay e s v . Massanari , 276 F.3d 453, 458-59 (9th C ir. 2001). At the a dm inistra

t ive he aring, M r. C a stro offe re d the ALJ re c e nt m e dic a l doc um e ntation from a

tre a ting phy s ic ia

n. The ALJ a gre e d to a c c e pt the doc um e ntation, but faile d to inc lude it in the a dm inistra tive re c o rd. The C om m issione r c o nc e d e s tha

t the ALJ e rre d by

fa i ling to inc lude the doc um e nts in the re c ord. W e will not re ve rse unle ss the e rror wa s ha rm ful. Molina v . Astrue , 674 F.3d 1104, 1111 (9th C ir. 2012) (“ [W ] e m ay not re ve rse an ALJ’ s de c ision on
a c c ount of a

n e rror that is ha

rm le ss.” ). “ [T] he burde n of showing tha t a n e rror is ha rm ful norm a l ly

fa lls upon the

pa rty atta c king the a ge nc y ’ s de te rm ination.” Shinse k i v . Sande rs , 556 U.S. 396, 409 (2009). M r. C a stro te stifie d a

b out his re c e nt m e dic a l c are , a nd the ALJ c onside re d that te stim ony

in his written de c ision. Furthe rm o re , a side from a dia gnosis of de pre s sion, there c e n t m e dic a l doc um e ntation wa s la rge ly c onsiste nt with the

re s t of the a dm inistra

tive re c o rd, inc luding thehe aring te stim ony . W ith re spe c t to M r.
2C a stro’ s de pre s sion, them e dic a l note s sugge ste d dim i nishe d c onc e ntration, e ne rgy , and inte re st ge ne ra lly , without c om m e nt a bout the e xte nt or se ve rity of those issue s. The dia gnosis the re fore did not underm ine the findings of a sta te a g e nc y psy c hologist who, a fte r c onduc ting a full e xam ination, found no work-re late d lim ita tions ste m

m i ng from

psy c hologic a l issue s. W e the re fore c onc lude tha t the ALJ’ s fa ilure to inc o rpora te the re c e nt m e dic a l doc um e ntation into the
a dm inistra

tive re c ord wa s ha

rm le s s. M r. C a stro re pre se n te d to the ALJ tha t, inc luding there c e nt m e dic a l doc um e ntation, there c ord wa s c om ple te . The ALJ ha d

no duty to furthe r de ve lop the re c ord. Fina lly , substa

ntia l e v ide nc e supporte d the ALJ’ s de te rm ination tha t M r. C a stro’ s de pre s sion wa s not a se ve re im

pa irm e nt
. An im

pa irm e nt or c om

bina tion of im pa irm e nts is not seve re if it doe s not signific antly lim it a c la im ant’ s phy sic a l
or m e nta l a

bility to do ba sic work a c tivitie s. W e bb v . Barnhart , 433 F.3d 683, 686 (9th C ir. 2005). As discusse d a bove , the re wa s littlein the writte n doc um e ntation to support a

finding tha

t de pre ssion im

pa ire d his a

bility to pe rform

ba sic work
a c tivitie s. M ore ove r, M r. C a stro did not me n tion depre ssion or other m e nta l he a lth im pe dim e nts in his te stim ony a bout his own sy

m ptom s. AFFIRM E D.
3