Source: http://ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20180731_0000752.WNY.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:33:24+00:00

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COMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY, Defendant.
Plaintiff Suzanne P. Berst ("Plaintiff) brings this action pursuant to the Social Security Act ("the Act") seeking review of the final decision of the Acting Commissioner of Social Security ("Defendant," or the "Commissioner") that denied her application for disability insurance benefits ("DIB") under Title II of the Act. (Dkt. 1). The Court has jurisdiction over this action under 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). Presently before the Court are the parties' cross motions for judgment on the pleadings (Dkt. 12; Dkt. 14) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(c). For the following reasons, Plaintiffs motion (Dkt. 12) is denied and the Commissioner's motion (Dkt. 14) is granted.
On March 21, 2013, Plaintiff applied for DIB with the Social Security Administration ("the SSA"). (Dkt. 6 at 75-76). She alleged disability beginning December 31, 2012, due to learning disability, anxiety and depression, attention deficit disorder, and intense personality disorder. (Id. at 76-77). On April 24, 2015, Plaintiff and a vocational expert ("VE") appeared and testified before Administrative Law Judge William M. Weir ("the ALJ"). (Id. at 39-74). On February 12, 2016, the ALJ issued a decision finding that Plaintiff was not disabled within the meaning of the Act. (Id. at 11-26). On April 26, 2017, the Appeals Council denied Plaintiffs request for review, rendering the ALJ's determination the final decision of the Commissioner. (Id. at 5-7). Thereafter, Plaintiff commenced this action seeking review of the Commissioner's final decision. (Dkt. 1).
An ALJ must follow a five-step sequential evaluation to determine whether a claimant is disabled within the meaning of the Act. See Parker v. City of New York, 476 U.S. 467, 470-71 (1986). At step one, the ALJ must determine whether the claimant is engaged in substantial gainful work activity. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(a). If so, the claimant is not disabled. If not, the ALJ proceeds to step two and determines whether the claimant has an impairment, or combination of impairments, that is "severe" within the meaning of the Act, meaning that it imposes significant restrictions on the claimant's ability to perform basic work activities. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(c). If the claimant does not have a severe impairment or combination of impairments, the analysis concludes with a finding of "not disabled." If the claimant does have a severe impairment, the ALJ continues to step three.
At step three, the ALJ examines whether a claimant's impairment meets or medically equals the criteria of a listed impairment in Appendix 1 of Subpart P of Regulation No. 4 (the "Listings"). 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(d). If the impairment meets or medically equals the criteria of a Listing and meets the durational requirement (20 C.F.R. § 404.1509), the claimant is disabled. If not, the ALJ determines the claimant's residual functional capacity ("RFC"), which is the ability to perform physical or mental work activities on a sustained basis, notwithstanding limitations for the collective impairments. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(e)-(f).
The ALJ analyzed Plaintiffs claim for benefits under the process described above. At step one, the ALJ was unable to determine whether work activity that Plaintiff had engaged in since the alleged onset date constituted disqualifying substantial gainful work activity. (Dkt. 6 at 16-17). As a result, the ALJ concluded that Plaintiff had not engaged in substantial gainful work activity since the alleged onset date. (Id.). At step two, the ALJ found that Plaintiff has the severe impairments of cervical and lumbar degenerative disc disease. (Id. at 17). The ALJ also found that Plaintiff has the following non-severe medically determinable impairments: anxiety disorder, affective disorder, attention deficit disorder, and a learning disability. (Id.). At step three, the ALJ found that these impairments, alone or in combination, did not meet or medically equal any listed impairment. (Mat21).

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