Source: http://wa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20191030_0007147.WWA.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2020-08-11 13:53:43
Document Index: 79048830

Matched Legal Cases: ['§1381', '§405', 'art, 278', '§1382', '§1382', '§416', '§416', '§416', '§416']

FindACase™ | Bailey N. v. Commissioner of Social Security
Bailey N. v. Commissioner of Social Security
BAILEY N., Plaintiff,
Plaintiff Bailey N. appeals the final decision of the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (“Commissioner”), which denied her application for Supplemental Security Income under Title XVI of the Social Security Act (the “Act”), 42 U.S.C. §§1381-83f, after a hearing before an administrative law judge (“ALJ”). For the reasons set forth below, the Commissioner's decision is AFFIRMED and the case is DISMISSED with prejudice.
Plaintiff is a 28-year-old woman with a high school education. See Admin. Record (“AR”) at 48, 69. Plaintiff applied for benefits, alleging disability as of September 7, 2007. Id. at 69, 155-60. Her claims were denied on initial administrative review and on reconsideration. Id. at 68-88. On September 13, 2017, ALJ Gerald Hill held a hearing, at which Plaintiff and a vocational expert testified. Id. at 30-67.
On March 1, 2018, ALJ Hill issued a decision denying Plaintiff's claim for benefits. Id. at 15-22. The Appeals Council denied review. Id. at 1-3. Plaintiff then sought review before this Court. Compl. (Dkt. #3).
Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §405(g), the Court may set aside the Commissioner's denial of social security benefits when the ALJ's findings are based on legal error or not supported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole. Hill v. Astrue, 698 F.3d 1153, 1159 (9th Cir. 2012). “Substantial evidence” is more than a scintilla, less than a preponderance, and is such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion. Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 401 (1971); Magallanes v. Bowen, 881 F.2d 747, 750 (9th Cir. 1989). The ALJ is responsible for determining credibility, resolving conflicts in medical testimony, and resolving any other ambiguities that might exist. Andrews v. Shalala, 53 F.3d 1035, 1039 (9th Cir. 1995). While the Court is required to examine the record as a whole, it may neither reweigh the evidence nor substitute its judgment for that of the Commissioner. Thomas v. Barnhart, 278 F.3d 947, 954 (9th Cir. 2002). When the evidence is susceptible to more than one rational interpretation, it is the Commissioner's conclusion that must be upheld. Id.
Plaintiff bears the burden of proving that she is disabled within the meaning of the Act. Meanel v. Apfel, 172 F.3d 1111, 1113 (9th Cir. 1999). The Act defines disability as the “inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity” due to a physical or mental impairment that has lasted, or is expected to last, for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. 42 U.S.C. §1382c(a)(3)(A). A claimant is disabled under the Act only if her impairments are of such severity that she is unable to do her previous work, and cannot, considering her age, education, and work experience, engage in any other substantial gainful activity existing in the national economy. 42 U.S.C. §1382c(a)(3)(B); see also Tackett v. Apfel, 180 F.3d 1094, 1098-99 (9th Cir. 1999).
When the claimant's impairment neither meets nor equals one of the impairments listed in the regulations, the Commissioner must proceed to step four and evaluate the claimant's residual functional capacity (“RFC”). 20 C.F.R. §416.920(e). Here, the Commissioner evaluates the physical and mental demands of the claimant's past relevant work to determine whether she can still perform that work. 20 C.F.R. §416.920(f). If the claimant is able to perform her past relevant work, she is not disabled; if the opposite is true, then the burden shifts to the Commissioner at step five to show that the claimant can perform other work that exists in significant numbers in the national economy, taking into consideration the claimant's RFC, age, education, and work experience. 20 C.F.R. §416.920(g); Tackett, 180 F.3d at 1099-1100. If the Commissioner finds the claimant is unable to perform other work, then the claimant is found disabled and benefits may be awarded. 20 C.F.R. §416.920(g).
On March 1, 2018, ALJ Hill issued a decision finding the following:
1. The claimant has not engaged in substantial gainful activity since January 8, 2016, the application date. See ...