Alford

Plaintiff Patricia Alford, a registered nurse, appeals the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of DCH Foundation Group Long Term Disability Plan (“the Plan”) & UNUM Life Insurance Company (“UNUM”) in her ERISA action for continuing long-term disability benefits. 1 Specifically, Ms. Alford argues that the district court erroneously applied the “abuse of discretion” standard of review; *957 that it erred in denying her request to expand the record; and that UNUM abused its discretion in failing to award benefits beyond November 1, 1996. For the reasons thoughtfully advanced by the court below, we affirm.

The relevant facts in this case are not in dispute. They are comprehensively set forth in the district court opinion, Alford v. DCH Foundation Group Long-Term Life Insurance Co. of America, 144 F.Supp.2d 1183, 1188-1206 (C.D.Cal.2001), and we need not recite them in detail here.

We review a district court’s grant of summary judgment de novo. See Mongeluzo v. Baxter Travenol Long Term Disability Benefit Plan, 46 F.3d 938, 942 (9th Cir.1995). We also review a district court’s choice and application of the standard of review applicable to a claims decision in…