Court Opinion

ID: 2964903
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:32:47.935148+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:43:03.440325
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
                                 ____________________

        No. 97-1095

                                  GILBERTO MELENDEZ,

                                Plaintiff, Appellant,

                                          v.

                           COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY,

                                 Defendant, Appellee.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                           FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO

                  [Hon. Juan M. Perez-Gimenez, U.S. District Judge]
                                               ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Torruella, Chief Judge,
                                           ___________
                           Stahl and Lynch, Circuit Judges.
                                            ______________

                                 ____________________

            Melba  N. Rivera-Camacho and Melba N. Rivera-Camacho  & Assocs. on
            ________________________     __________________________________
        brief for appellant.
            Guillermo  Gil, United  States Attorney,  Edna  Rosario, Assistant
            ______________                            _____________
        United  States  Attorney,  and  Donna  McCarthy,   Assistant  Regional
                                        _______________
        Counsel, Social Security Administration, on brief for appellee.

                                 ____________________

                                  September 3, 1997
                                 ____________________

                      Per Curiam.   Claimant-appellant  Gilberto Melendez
                      __________

            appeals from  a judgment  of the  district court  affirming a

            decision of the Commissioner of Social Security that Melendez

            was  not entitled to  disability benefits.   Having carefully

            reviewed  the record  and  the  parties'  briefs,  we  affirm

            essentially  for the reasons stated  by the district court in

            its opinion dated  November 13, 1996.  We  are persuaded that

            the  hypothetical question  posed  to  the Vocational  Expert

            ("VE")  was  adequate under  the particular  circumstances of

            this case.   The VE's testimony indicates that  he considered

            all eight areas in which appellant was found to have moderate

            mental limitations, though  he did not  recite each of  these

            areas.   Finally, although the  VE did mention  some evidence

            after  the  insured   period,  the  VE  relied   on  residual

            functional capacity  assessments for  the critical  period in

            reaching  his  conclusion that  appellant could  perform past

            jobs.    

                      We  add  simply   that,  contrary  to   appellant's

            suggestion,  the  Administrative Law  Judge  ("ALJ") was  not

            required  to  recite  every piece  of  evidence  that favored

            appellant.   See Stein  v. Sullivan, 966  F.2d 317,  319 (7th
                         ___ _____     ________

            Cir. 1992) (noting that the level of articulation required is

            not precise).  The ALJ's decision reveals that  he considered

            the evidence as  a whole,  and it indicates  the path of  his

            reasoning.  No more was required.

                                         -2-

                      Affirmed.
                      _________

                                         -3-