Patricia Brown v. Carolyn Colvin

MEMORANDUM

Patricia F. Brown appeals the district court’s judgment affirming the Commissioner of Social Security’s denial of her application for disability insurance benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . We review de novo, Molina v. Astrue, 674 F.3d 1104, 1110 (9th Cir.2012), and affirm.

Contrary to Brown’s contention, the ALJ did not err at step two of the sequential evaluation when the ALJ did not identify pes planus (flat foot), regional pain syndrome, and foot and ankle pain among Brown’s severe impairments. There was no evidence that pes planus significantly limited Brown’s ability to do basic work activities. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520 (c) (defining “severe impairment” as “any impairment or combination of impairments which significantly limits [one’s] physical or mental ability to do basic work activities”). Pain syndrome is not clearly diagnosed in the record, and pain by itself is a symptom, not an impairment. See 20 C.F.R. § 404.1529 (b) (‘Tour symptoms, such as pain ... will not be found to affect your ability to do basic work activities unless medical signs or laboratory findings show that a medically…