Teri Alexander v. Commissioner of Social Securit

MEMORANDUM

Ten Alexander appeals the district court’s affirmance of the Commissioner of Social Security’s denial of Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits and partial denial of Supplemental Security Income disability benefits under Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act. We affirm.

1. We reject Alexander’s argument that ALJ King failed to comply with Judge Hogan’s remand order. Judge Hogan held that the ALJ did not articulate “specific and legitimate reasons” for rejecting the opinions of Alexander’s treating physicians as to Alexander’s functional limitations and directed the ALJ to develop the record further in this respect. [ER 661] ALJ King was also instructed to consider whether Alexander’s drug-seeking behavior “is simply a matter of addiction and a tendency to accordingly exaggerate pain or is consistent with her pain testimony.” [ER 664]

The ALJ complied with this order by considering newly developed medical evidence on remand, including Dr. Kauder’s psychological assessment that Alexander was “exaggerating and/or fabricating ... symptomatology.” [ER 707, 632] The ALJ discussed Dr. Kauder’s findings in detail, including Alexander’s “striking” and “difficult…