Opinion ID: 711197
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Commissioner's Treatment of Claimant's Vocational Expert Opinion

Text: 17 Gomez additionally argues that the Commissioner erred in finding that Gomez could perform other work in the national economy, inasmuch as, she contends, the Commissioner improperly discounted the opinion of a vocational expert she provided. 18 As part of her appeal of the ALJ's decision, Gomez submitted to the Appeals Council a report from a vocational expert obtained after the ALJ's decision. Although the Appeals Council affirmed the decision of the ALJ denying benefits to Gomez, this evidence is part of the record on review to this court. Ramirez v. Shalala, 8 F.3d 1449, 1452 (9th Cir.1993). 19 The Appeals Council considered the additional evidence submitted by Gomez and found that the conclusion of Gomez's vocational expert, that Gomez could perform no work available in the national economy, was of no effect because it was based on limitations which the ALJ had properly rejected. Gallant v. Heckler, 753 F.2d 1450, 1456 (9th Cir.1984) (If the assumptions in the hypothetical are not supported by the record, the opinion of the vocational expert ... has no evidentiary value.). Thus, Gomez's contention that the Commissioner is bound to accept this evidence because it is uncontroverted is without merit. 20 While the burden was on the Commissioner to prove that there are other jobs existing in the national economy which Gomez could perform, the Commissioner was not required to fulfill this burden through the use of a vocational expert. We have interpreted the regulations to provide that the use of vocational experts is left to the Commissioner's discretion. 20 C.F.R. Secs. 404.1566(e), 416.966(e); Albrecht v. Heckler, 765 F.2d 914, 916 (9th Cir.1985). 1 At the most, the Commissioner need use a vocational expert only if there is an absence of other reliable evidence of the claimant's ability to perform specific jobs. Perminter v. Heckler, 765 F.2d 870, 872 (9th Cir.1985). 21 Thus, while the ALJ called a vocational expert to testify at the hearing, he ultimately and properly relied solely on the medical-vocational guidelines in Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 2, in finding that Gomez could perform other work in the national economy. Not only was the ALJ free to reject the testimony of his vocational expert, but in addition, the Appeals Council was also free to reject evidence produced by Gomez's vocational expert, evidence which was obtained after an adverse administrative decision. 22 Moreover, in rejecting this evidence, the Appeals Council is not required to make any particular evidentiary finding. While Magallanes v. Bowen, 881 F.2d 747, 756 (9th Cir.1989) requires that there be substantial evidence for rejecting the opinion of a vocational expert resulting from a hypothetical question propounded by claimant's counsel, such a requirement was imposed on a vocational expert called by the ALJ during the hearing. Here we are instead confronted with a post-hearing report supplied by a vocational expert solicited by the claimant alone.