Gutierrez v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec., No. 12-15472 (9th Cir. 2014)
Annotate this CasePlaintiff appealed the denial of his claims for supplemental security income (SSI). At issue was whether the ALJ failed to make an adequate showing that a significant number of jobs existed in the region in which plaintiff lived or in several regions of the country. The court concluded that the ALJ did not err by defining "region" for purposes of 42 U.S.C. 1382c(a)(3)(B) as the State of California, and 2,500 jobs in California constituted a significant number of jobs in the region. The court also concluded that 25,000 jobs also signified a significant number of jobs in several regions of the country. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment of the district court.
Court Description: Social Security. The panel affirmed the district court’s decision affirming the Commissioner of Social Security’s denial of claimant’s application for supplemental security income under the Social Security Act. The Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) conducted the five-step sequential evaluation process described in 20 C.F.R. § 416.920 and concluded at step five that the claimant did not suffer from a disability because he could perform a significant number of jobs in the national economy. The panel held that the ALJ did not err by defining “region” for purposes of 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(B) as the State of California, and 2,500 jobs in California constituted a significant number of jobs in the region. The panel also held that substantial evidence supported the ALJ’s decision that 25,000 national jobs constituted “work which exist[ed] in significant numbers . . . in several regions of the country.” 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(B).
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