Stephen Harris v. Commissioner of Social Sec.

MEMORANDUM

Stephen Harris appeals pro se from a judgment by the district court affirming the administrative law judge’s (ALJ’s) denial of disability insurance benefits (DIB) and additional supplemental security income (SSI). We have jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . We review de novo the judgment of a district court upholding an ALJ’s denial of benefits to a Social Security claimant. Valentine v. Comm’r Soc. Sec. Admin., 574 F.3d 685, 690 (9th Cir.2009). We affirm the ALJ’s decision if substantial evidence supports his findings and he correctly applied the law. Id. The facts of this case are known to the parties. We need not repeat them here.

The ALJ properly concluded that Harris is ineligible for DIB. A disability claimant must prove he was permanently disabled or subject to a condition which became disabling prior to his last insured date. Johnson v. Shalala, 60 F.3d 1428, 1432 (9th Cir.1995). It is undisputed that Harris’s last insured date was September 30, 1991. The evidence shows that Harris suffered occasional impairments, but to qualify as a disability an impairment must last at least twelve months. Barnhart v. Walton, 535 U.S. 212, 217 , 122…