Lopez

MEMORANDUM ***

On April 12, 2000, the Social Security Administration (SSA) Appeals Council ordered remand to determine whether Lopez was disabled on or after September 28, 1994, the date of her Title XVI application. Accordingly, the Commissioner asks for affirmation on appeal only of the Administrative Law Judge’s (ALJ) determination that Lopez was not disabled before September 30, 1992, her date of last insured (DLI). We restrict our review of the ALJ’s decision to that time period.

Lopez fell and seriously injured the muscles in her back and left hand, shoulder and knee on October 30, 1990. She was treated by two trauma clinics between November 1990 and October 1992, each of which advised that she would likely have recurrent problems from her injuries when performing normal daily activities. At her hearing before an ALJ in July 1996, Lopez testified that she suffered from severe symptoms from her fall through September 30, 1992, including having problems with sitting, walking or standing for long periods of time in addition to chronic cramping in her left hand. She claimed that these various problems prevented her from performing her past work of 20 years as a sewing machine…