Clingenpeel v. Commissioner of Social Security
Filing
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ORDER AFFIRMING Agency's DENIAL of Benefits and ORDERING Judgment for Commissioner signed by Magistrate Judge Sandra M. Snyder on 2/25/2015. CASE CLOSED. (Sant Agata, S)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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JESSICA R. CLINGENPEEL,
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Plaintiff,
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v.
CAROLYN W. COLVIN, Acting
Commissioner of Social Security,
CASE NO. 1:13-CV-2009-SMS
ORDER AFFIRMING AGENCY’S
DENIAL OF BENEFITS AND ORDERING
JUDGMENT FOR COMMISSIONER
(Doc. 17)
Defendant.
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Plaintiff Jessica R. Clingenpeel, by her attorneys, Law Offices of Lawrence D. Rohlfing,
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seeks judicial review of a final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security (“Commissioner”)
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denying her request for reconsideration of disability cessation regarding supplemental security
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income (“SSI”) pursuant to Title XVI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.) (the
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“Act”). The matter is currently before the Court on the parties’ cross-briefs, which were
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submitted, without oral argument, to the Honorable Sandra M. Snyder, United States Magistrate
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Judge. Following a review of the complete record and applicable law, this Court finds the
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decision of the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) to be supported by substantial evidence in the
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record as a whole and based on proper legal standards.
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I.
Background
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A. Procedural History
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On April 6, 2009, Plaintiff was granted supplemental security income under Title XVI of
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the Social Security Act. The decision stated that Plaintiff, a minor at the time, suffered from
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insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, which functionally equaled the childhood listings effective as
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of August 30, 2007. On November 19, 2010, Plaintiff received notice from the Commissioner that
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she no longer qualified for supplemental security income and her disability benefits would end.
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Plaintiff appealed and the Commissioner denied Plaintiff’s appeal on July 28, 2011. On August 4,
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2011, Plaintiff filed a timely request for a hearing.
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On August 20, 2011, Plaintiff appeared without counsel and testified at a hearing presided
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over by Edward C. Graham, Administrative Law Judge (“the ALJ”). Plaintiff’s mother, Vanessa
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Clingenpeel, and an impartial vocational expert, Howard Goldfarb (“the VE”), also appeared and
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testified.
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On September 7, 2012, the ALJ denied Plaintiff’s request for reconsideration. The
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Appeals Council denied review on October 9, 2013. The ALJ’s decision this became the
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Commissioner’s final decision. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(h). On November 24, 2014, Plaintiff filed a
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complaint seeking this Court’s review pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 405(g), 1383(c)(3).
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B. Relevant Record
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Plaintiff’s Testimony
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At the administrative hearing in August 2011, Plaintiff was twenty years old. She testified
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that she attended high school once a week and that she had never had a job. She was single, lived
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with her parents and her sister, and cared for her ten-month old son. She testified that her blood
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sugar was often very high, which would cause her to feel weak and throw up three to four times a
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day. She would take insulin shots, which would sometimes solve her problems temporarily. She
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saw a doctor at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles once every three months for her diabetes. She
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believed that her conditions would prevent her from maintaining a full-time job.
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Plaintiff’s mother testified that Plaintiff does not test her blood as regularly as she should,
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approximately six times a day, but only “when she feels like it” and when someone consistently
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reminds her. This causes Plaintiff’s mother great concern because Plaintiff’s blood sugar will be
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very low or very high and she would shake or faint. Plaintiff’s mother testified that Plaintiff’s
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vision becomes blurry if her blood sugar level is over 300.
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Relevant Medical Evidence
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In 2005 and 2007 Plaintiff was admitted to the hospital four times for episodes of diabetic
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ketoacidosis and hyperglycemia. Plaintiff did not visit the hospital due to blood sugar control after
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the last episode in 2007.
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During 2008-2010, Plaintiff visited the Tehachapi Community Health Center a few times
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for non-diabetes related ailments, including abdominal pain, cough, and a skin rash. In 2010,
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Plaintiff visited the Childhood Diabetes Center of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles three times
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with mostly normal systems reviews and no remarkable findings. She was advised about and
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encouraged to pursue healthy eating habits and exercise.
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On November 8, 2010, Dean Chiang, M.D., performed a comprehensive internal medicine
evaluation and recorded his findings. He noted that Plaintiff had not had any hospital visits for
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uncontrolled blood sugar in the previous five years. Plaintiff checked her blood sugar every three
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to four hours and self-administered insulin. Plaintiff engaged in hip-hop dancing periodically,
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walking for exercise once a week, and playing Wii tennis for two hours daily. She did dishes and
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cleaned her own room. Dr. Chiang diagnosed Plaintiff with Type 1 diabetes and indicated a
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normal examination. Dr. Chiang did not assess any physical or environmental limitations.
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On November 19, 2010, K. Beig, M.D., reviewed Plaintiff’s record and also assessed no
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physical or environmental limitations. Dr. Beig indicated that Plaintiff was “partially credible”
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because the objective evidence did not fully support the severity of the allegations.
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VE Testimony
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At the hearing, the ALJ told the VE that Plaintiff was twenty years old with an eleventh
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grade education, could perform heavy work, standing and walking six hours in an eight-hour
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workday and sitting six hours in an eight-hour workday. The ALJ asked what jobs might be
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available for her in the heavy, medium, or light range. The VE responded that representative jobs
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would be: landscape laborer (DOT # 408.687-014, heavy, unskilled SVP 2), polisher (DOT #
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761.684-026, medium, unskilled, SVP 2), laundry laborer (DOT # 361.687-018, medium,
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unskilled, SVP 2), and cashier (DOT # 211.462.010, light, unskilled, SVP 2). The VE further
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testified that there would be no work in the local or national economy for Plaintiff if her blood
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sugar was uncontrollable and caused her to be shaky.
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Relevant Findings
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The ALJ found that medical evidence supported a finding that as of November 1, 2010,
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there had been a decrease in medical severity of Plaintiff’s impairment, when compared to the
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severity of her impairment on August 30, 2007, the date of the comparison point decision
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(“CPD”). The ALJ found that Plaintiff’s impairment caused more than a minimal limitation on her
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ability to perform basic work activities, yet she still had the residual functional capacity (“RFC”)
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to perform heavy exertional work, but limited to standing and/or walking for six hours and sitting
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for six hours in an eight-hour workday. The ALJ found that beginning on November 1, 2010,
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Plaintiff was able to perform a significant number of jobs in the national economy, and was
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therefore not disabled.
II.
Discussion
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A. Disability Analysis
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To determine if a claimant’s disability continues, the ALJ follows a seven-step analysis. 20
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C.F.R. § 416.994. First, the ALJ determines whether the claimant has an impairment or
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combination of impairments that meets or equals a listed impairment. 20 C.F.R. §§ 416.920(d),
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416.925, 416.926. If so, the claimant’s disability continues. 20 C.F.R. § 416.994(b)(5)(i).
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Second, the ALJ determines whether medical improvement occurred. Id. If so, the analysis
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proceeds to step three. If not, the analysis proceeds to step four. At step three, the ALJ determines
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if the medical improvement relates to the ability to perform work. 20 C.F.R. § 416.994(b) (5) (iii).
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If so, the analysis skips step four and proceeds to step five.
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At step four, the ALJ determines if an exception to medical improvement applies. 20
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C.F.R. § 416.994(b)(5)(iv). If an exception from the first group applies, the analysis proceeds to
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step five. If an exception in the second group applies, the claimant’s disability ends. If no
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exception applies, the claimant’s disability continues. See 20 C.F.R. §§ 416.994(b)(3) and (4).
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At step five, the ALJ determines whether the claimant’s current impairment or
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combination of impairments is severe. 20 C.F.R. § 416.994(b)(5)(v). If they do not significantly
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limit the claimant’s ability to work, the claimant’s disability ceases. If they do significantly limit
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the claimant’s ability to work, the analysis proceeds to step six.
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At step six, the ALJ assesses the claimant’s RFC based on the current impairments and
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determine if the claimant can perform past work. 20 C.F.R. § 416.994(b)(5)(vi). If the claimant
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can perform past work, disability has ended. If not, the analysis proceeds to step seven.
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At the seventh step, the ALJ determines if other work exists in the national economy that
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the claimant can perform given her RFC and considering her age, education, and past work
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experience. 20 C.F.R. § 416.994(b)(5)(vii). If such work exists, the claimant is no longer disabled.
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If such work does not exist, the claimant’s disability continues.
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B. Standard of Review
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Congress has provided a limited scope of judicial review of the Commissioner’s decision
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to deny benefits under the Act. The record as a whole must be considered, weighing both the
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evidence that supports and the evidence that detracts from the Commissioner’s decision.
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Lingenfelter v. Astrue, 504 F.3d 1028, 1035 (9th Cir. 2007) (citation and internal quotation marks
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omitted). In weighing the evidence and making findings, the Commissioner must apply the proper
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legal standards. See, e.g., Burkhart v. Bowen, 856 F.2d 1335, 1338 (9th Cir. 1988). If an ALJ
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applied the proper legal standards and the ALJ’s findings are supported by substantial evidence,
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this Court must uphold the ALJ’s determination that the claimant is not disabled. See, e.g., Ukolov
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v. Barnhart, 420 F.3d 1002, 104 (9th Cir. 2005); see also 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). Substantial
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evidence means “more than a mere scintilla but less than a preponderance.” Ryan v. Comm’r of
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Soc. Sec., 528 F.3d 1194, 1998 (9th Cir. 2008). It is “such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind
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might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Burch v. Barnhart, 400 F.3d 676, 679 (9th Cir.
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2005). Where the evidence as a whole can support either outcome, the Court may not substitute its
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judgment for the ALJ’s, rather, the ALJ’s conclusion must be upheld. Id.
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C. Medical Improvement
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Plaintiff argues that the ALJ erred in finding that her disability ceased as of November 1,
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2010 because medical improvement occurred. Plaintiff argues that medical improvement has not
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occurred because she continues to have, as she also had at the CPD, insulin-dependent diabetes
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mellitus, which allows her to attend school only once a week.
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An individual is disabled for the purpose of receiving benefits under the Act if she is
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unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity due to an impairment which has lasted, or is
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expected to last, for a continuous period of at least twelve months. 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(A); 20
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C.F.R. § 416.905(a). Once a claimant has been found to be disabled, “she is entitled to the
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presumption that disability still exists.” Murray v. Heckler, 722 F.2d 499, 500 (9th Cir. 1993). The
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Commissioner bears the burden of showing that medical improvement has occurred that would
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enable the claimant to perform substantial gainful activity. Id.
Medical improvement means any decrease in the medical severity of a claimant’s
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impairment which was present at the time of the most recent favorable decision (i.e., the most
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recent finding of disability). 20 C.F.R. § 416.994(b)(1)(i). A decrease in medical severity must be
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based on improvement in the “symptoms, signs and/or laboratory findings” associated with the
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claimant’s impairment. Id. When substantial evidence demonstrates that there has been any
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medical improvement in the claimant’s impairment, and she is now able to engage in substantial
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gainful activity, the claimant’s disability benefits will be terminated. 42 U.S.C. § 423(f); 20 C.F.R.
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§ 416.994(b)(5)(vi); Flaten v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 44 F.3d 1453, 1459 (9th Cir.
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1995).
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Here, the ALJ’s decision that medical improvement occurred as of November 1, 2010 is
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supported by substantial evidence. It is not disputed that Plaintiff continues to suffer from
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diabetes, nor that Plaintiff attends school only once a week. However, the record demonstrates
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improvement in the symptoms associated with Plaintiff’s diabetes since the CPD. In 2009, the
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former ALJ’s opinion indicated that Plaintiff was hospitalized in 2005 and 2007, that her diabetes
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was not under control, and that she had marked limitations in caring for her personal needs and
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well-being. However, in 2012, the record demonstrates that Plaintiff had not been hospitalized for
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diabetes since 2007, that her diabetes was under control, and that she was able to care for her
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personal needs as well as her infant child.
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As discussed above, Dr. Chiang’s internal medicine evaluation, rendered in November
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2010, states that Plaintiff checks her blood sugar every three to four hours and self-administers
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insulin. Plaintiff indicated to him that she had no issues with uncontrolled blood sugar. He did not
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assess any functional limitations. Also, in August and September 2010, Plaintiff’s diabetes was
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“well-controlled” with medication. AR 279, 282. Throughout 2010, Plaintiff had regular medical
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appointments, which did not indicate major abnormalities. Furthermore, Plaintiff does her own
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chores and testified that she cares for her infant son, indicating that she no longer has marked
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limitations in caring for her personal needs.
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Substantial evidence exists in the record to support the ALJ’s finding of medical
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improvement. The medical evidence demonstrates that Plaintiff’s symptoms associated with her
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diabetes improved. Multiple sources clearly state that her diabetes was controlled and she had no
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incidents of hospitalization since the CPD. The record also indicates that the medical improvement
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enables her to engage in substantial gainful activity. Hence, the ALJ did not err in finding that
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medical improvement occurred as of November 1, 2010.
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D. Credibility
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Plaintiff argues that the ALJ failed to provide legally sufficient reasons to reject her
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subjective symptoms testimony. Plaintiff argues that her daily activities do not demonstrate that
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she is able to engage in fulltime work.
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The Ninth Circuit established two requirements for a claimant to present credible symptom
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testimony: the claimant must produce objective medical evidence of an impairment or
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impairments, and she must show the impairment or combination of impairments could reasonably
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be expected to produce some degree of symptom. Cotton v. Bowen, 799 F.2d 1403, 1407 (9th Cir.
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1986). The claimant, however, need not produce objective medical evidence of the actual
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symptoms or their severity. Smolen v. Chater, 80 F.3d 1273, 1284 (9th Cir. 1996).
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The Commissioner may not discredit a claimant’s testimony on the severity of symptoms
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merely because it is unsupported by objective medical evidence. Reddick v. Chater, 157 F.3d 715,
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722 (9th Cir. 1998); Bunnell v. Sullivan, 947 F.2d 341, 345 (9th Cir. 1991). However, an ALJ is
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entitled to consider whether there is a lack of medical evidence to corroborate a claimant’s
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subjective symptom testimony so long as it is not the only reason for discounting her testimony.
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Burch v. Barnhart, 400 F.3d 676, 680-681 (9th Cir. 2005).
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An ALJ is not “required to believe every allegation of disabling pain” or other non-
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exertional requirement. Orn v. Astrue, 495 F.3d 625, 635 (9th Cir. 2007), quoting Fair v. Bowen,
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885 F.2d 597, 603 (9th Cir. 1989). “[T]he ALJ must identify what testimony is not credible and
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what evidence undermines the claimant’s complaints.” Lester, 81 F.3d at 834, quoting Varney v.
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Secretary of Health and Human Services, 846 F.2d 581, 584 (9th Cir. 1988). He or she must set
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forth specific reasons for rejecting the claim, explaining why the testimony is unpersuasive. Orn,
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495 F.3d at 635. See also Robbins v. Social Security Admin., 466 F.3d 880, 885 (9th Cir. 2006).
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The credibility findings must be “sufficiently specific to permit the court to conclude that the ALJ
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did not arbitrarily discredit claimant’s testimony.” Thomas v. Barnhart, 278 F.3d 947, 958 (9th
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Cir. 2002).
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When weighing a claimant’s credibility, the ALJ may consider the claimant’s reputation
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for truthfulness, inconsistencies in claimant’s testimony or between his testimony and conduct,
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claimant’s daily activities, claimant’s work record, and testimony from physicians and third
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parties about the nature, severity and effect of claimant’s claimed symptoms. Light v. Social
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Security Administration, 119 F.3d 789, 792 (9th Cir. 1997). The ALJ may consider “(1) ordinary
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techniques of credibility evaluation, such as claimant’s reputation for lying, prior inconsistent
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statements concerning the symptoms, and other testimony by the claimant that appears less than
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candid; (2) unexplained or inadequately explained failure to seek treatment or to follow a
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prescribed course of treatment; and (3) the claimant’s daily activities.” Tommasetti v. Astrue, 533
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F.3d 1035, 1039 (9th Cir. 2008), quoting Smolen v. Chater, 80 F.3d 1273 (9th Cir. 1996). If the
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ALJ’s finding is supported by substantial evidence, the Court may not second-guess his or her
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decision. Thomas, 278 F.3d at 959.
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Here the ALJ found that Plaintiff’s medically determinable impairments could reasonably
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be expected to cause the alleged symptoms; however, Plaintiff’s statements concerning the
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intensity, persistence, and limiting effects of her symptoms were not credible to the extent that
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they were inconsistent with the ALJ’s RFC assessment. He summarized his credibility analysis
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with the following:
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In sum, the claimant’s activities of daily living, the medical and other evidence of record,
and the findings of the State agency consultants suggest that the claimant can sustain a
greater capacity than she described at the hearing. Given this evidence, the undersigned
concludes that her subjective complaints and alleged limitations are not fully persuasive.
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In his decision, the ALJ discussed each of these reasons in detail. First the ALJ discussed
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Plaintiff’s daily activities which she indicated on an exertional questionnaire and in her testimony
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at the hearing. Plaintiff took care of her infant child, did chores, danced and walked for exercise,
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and played Wii tennis for about two hours a day. These activities are inconsistent with her
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allegation of total disability. The ALJ then discussed the medical evidence and how it is also
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inconsistent with Plaintiff’s allegation of total disability. The medical findings revealed no
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significant abnormalities. Plaintiff sought intermittent treatment from 2008-2010 for complaints
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other than diabetes, such as viral illness, abdominal pain, and rashes. In September 2010 she had
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an eye exam which revealed no vision problem secondary to diabetes mellitus. Plaintiff also
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attended checkups for diabetes three times in 2010, which revealed no major abnormalities.
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Plaintiff had not been entirely compliant with her diabetes medication but she still had not
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required emergency room treatment or hospitalization due to uncontrolled blood sugar for five
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years prior to the hearing. In November 2010, consultative examiner Dr. Chiang diagnosed
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Plaintiff with diabetes mellitus, type I and assessed no limitations. The Court notes that reviewing
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physician Dr. Beig also assessed no limitations and indicated that the objective evidence did not
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fully support the severity of the allegations. The ALJ also mentioned Plaintiff’s verbal responses
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and overall demeanor at the hearing, which was not suggestive of a person experiencing disabling
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limitations.
The ALJ’s reasons for discrediting Plaintiff’s testimony were sufficiently specific to permit
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the Court to conclude that the ALJ did not arbitrarily discredit her testimony. The ALJ used
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ordinary techniques of credibility evaluation by observing her demeanor at the hearing, cited to the
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lack of support in the medical record, discussed evidence of conservative treatment, and discussed
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Plaintiff’s daily activities in discrediting her testimony. The ALJ’s credibility determination is
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supported by substantial evidence and will not be subject to second guessing. As a whole, the
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ALJ’s credibility analysis was supported by substantial evidence and was without legal error.
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III.
Conclusion and Order
For the foregoing reasons, the Court finds that the ALJ applied appropriate legal standards
and that substantial evidence supported the ALJ’s determination that Plaintiff was no longer
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disabled. Accordingly, the Court hereby DENIES Plaintiff’s appeal from the administrative
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decision of the Commissioner of Social Security. The Clerk of Court is DIRECTED to enter
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judgment in favor of the Commissioner and against Plaintiff.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated:
February 25, 2015
/s/ Sandra M. Snyder
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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