N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT
ER IC W ILLENS,

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 nt-Appe l le e . No. 15-16891 D.C . No. 2:14-c v-01339-DLR
M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Distric t of Ariz o na Dougla s L. R ay e s , Distric t Judge , Pre siding Subm itte d Se pte m

be r 21, 2017 * * B e fore : GOODW IN, LEAVY, a nd SILVER

M AN, C i rc u it Judge s. Eric W ille ns a

ppe a ls the distric t c ourt’ s judgm e nt a ffirm ing the C om m issione r of Soc ia l Se c urity ’ s de nia l of W ille ns’ s a pplic ations for disa

b ility insura nc e be ne fits a

nd supple m e nta l se c urity

inc o m e unde r Title s II and XVI of the



# F IL ED SEP 22 2017 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at 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 oral a

rgum e nt. Se e Fe d. R . App. P. 34(a)(2).Soc ia l Se c urity Ac t. W ille ns c onte nds tha t the a dm inistra

tive la w judge (“ ALJ” )
e rre d in finding tha

t W ille n s wa s not fully

c re dible , a

nd in re je c ting la y witne ss te stim ony from his fa the r, She rwin W i lle ns. W e have jurisdic tion unde r 28 U.S.C
. § 1291. W e re vie wthe distric t c ourt’ s orde r de novo, Molina v . Astrue , 674 F.3d 1104, 1110 (9th C ir. 2012), a n d we a ffirm
. The ALJ provide d spe c ific , c le a r, and c onvinc ing re a sons for re je c ting W ille ns’ s te stim ony . First, theALJ re a sona bly found tha

t W ille ns’ s da ily a c tivitie s we re not a s lim ite d a s one would e xpe c t give n his a lle gations of disa bling sym ptom s a nd limita tions. For insta

nc e , a l though W ille ns te stifie d tha t he wa s tota lly disa b le d, the ALJ note d tha

t W ille ns indic ate d

on his Func tion R e ports tha t he wa s a ble to groom

and ba the him se l f, pre pa

re d his own m e a ls, did la

undry , drove , shoppe d for groc e rie s, soc ia liz e d with frie nds, m ana ge d his fina n c e s , a nd
oc c a siona lly

did house work. In a ddition, the ALJ c orre c tly

note d tha t sinc e his
onse t da te W i lle ns ha d tra

ve le d to M e xic o whe re he wa lke d quite a bit, a

nd this
wa s inc onsiste nt with his te stim ony of disa bling lim ita tions. Se eTommase tti v
. Astrue , 533 F.3d 1035, 1040 (9th C ir. 2008) (holding tha t the ALJ prope rly disc ounte d a

c la i m a nt’ s te s tim ony

a bout thee xte nt of his pai n a nd limita tions ba se d on his a

b ility to tra v e l).

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2Se c ond, the ALJ re a sona bly found tha

t W i lle ns’ s sy

m p tom s from

his dia b e te s a nd c orona ry arte ry dise a se we re we l l-c ontrolle d with m e dic ations, whic h be lie d his te stim ony

tha t the sy m ptom s we re disa

bling. For e xam

ple , in a M ay 2011 e xam ination, tre ating phy sic ia n Dr. Ge orge Sible y

found tha

t W ille ns wa s doing “ e xtre m e ly

we ll” with his dia

be te s and c orona

ry he at dise a se , tha

t W ille ns should c ontinuewith his me dic ation, a nd tha t his dia be te s wa s we ll-c ontrolle d. Also, theALJ prope rly

note d tha t a lthough W ille ns te stifie d tha t the side e ffe c ts from nitrogly c e rin, whic h tre ate d his he art c ondition, ga ve him disa bling re c urring he a da c h e s a

nd drowsine ss, the tre ating note s a nd re c ords la c ke d e vide nc e supporting those

c om pla ints. Se eW

arrev . C omm’r of Soc . Se c . Admin. , 439 F.3d 1001, 1006 (9th C ir. 2006) (holding tha t im pa irm e nts tha

t c an be c ontrolle d
e ffe c tive ly

with m e dic ations a

re not disa

bling). The ALJ re a sona

bly c ite d a third re a s on for a

n a dve rse c re d i bility de te rm i nation: the

obje c tive m e dic a l e vide nc e wa s inc onsiste nt with W ille n s’ s subje c tive a lle gations of lim ita tion. For e xam

ple , a lthough W ille n s te s tifie d tha t he
e xpe rie nc e d re gula

rly -re c urring c he st pa ins, Dr. Sible y sta te d in a July 2012 re port that W ille ns ha d be e n a sym

ptom atic sinc e April 2012. Se c ond, a l though W ille ns te stifie d tha

t his ne c k pa in wa s disa

bling, Dr. Sibley

re p orte d on Fe b ruary

20, 2012 that W ille ns ha d unde rgone c e rvic a l fusion a n d ha d im prove m e nt in his ne c k pa in.

1 5
- 1 7 1 2 2 3M ore o ve r, in the m e dic a l e vide nc e be fore the ALJ, no phy sic ia n m a de an a sse ssm e nt tha

t W ille ns wa s disa

ble d
. Se eBurc h v
. Barnhart , 400 F.3d 676, 681 (9th C ir. 2005) (holding tha t a n ALJ m a y c onside r a

la c k of supporting me d ic a l
e vide nc e , but thefa c tor c a nnot form the only ba s is for disc ounting subje c tive sym ptom te stim ony ). The ALJ did not err in giving little we ight to the third pa rty func tion re port of W ille ns’ s fathe r. M r. W ille ns’ s la y witne ss sta

te m e nt wa s sim ila

r to the
c la im ant’ s te stim ony . The ALJ prope rly c onc lude d tha

t M r. W ille ns’ s Func tion R e port wa s c onsiste nt with his son’ s subje c tive c om pla i nts, but wa s sim i la

rly inc o nsiste nt with the obje c tive m e dic a l e vide nc e . B e c a use the ALJ prope rly disc ounte d the c l a im ant’ s sim ila r te stim ony , the ALJ prope rly gave a ge rm ane re a s on for re

je c ting M r. W ille ns’ s te stim o ny . Se eVale n tine v . C o mm’r Soc . Se c . Admin. , 574 F.3d 685, 694 (9th C ir. 2009). W e do not c onside r W ille ns’ s a rgum e nt c onc e rning the gre at we ight theALJ
a ssigne d to thenon-e xam ining phy s ic ia n s’ opinions, which W ille ns did not raise in his ope ning brie f, a

n d only ra ise d for the first tim e in his reply brie f. S e e Ebe rlev . Anahe im , 901 F.2d 814, 818 (9th C ir. 1990). Substa ntia l e v i de nc e supports the ALJ’ s de te rm ination tha

t W ille ns wa s not disa ble d within the

m e aning of theSoc i a l Se c urity Ac t. AFFIRM E D.
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