Parker
Parker v. Barnhart
Opinion
Lead Opinion
MEMORANDUM ***
In this appeal we consider whether an administrative law judge (ALJ) erred in concluding that Harriet Parker was entitled to benefits starting from March 2, 1998, instead of from an earlier disability onset date of August 22, 1996. Parker has a general equivalence diploma and previously worked as a caregiver for the elderly and as a casino custodian. She claims impairments including: depressive disorder NOS, dysthymia, post-traumatic stress disorder; psychological factors affecting her physical condition; paranoid personality disorder; borderline personality disorder; bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome; hammertoes; and degenerative disc disease causing lumbalgia.
We review de novo the district court’s judgment affirming a denial of social security benefits. Moore v. Comm. of the Soc. Sec. Admin., 278 F.3d 920, 924 (9th Cir. 2002). We will set aside a denial of disability benefits when the ALJ’s findings are not supported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole. Tackett v. Apfel, 180 F.3d 1094, 1097 (9th Cir.1999). We may also set aside a denial of disability benefits when an ALJ’s findings of disability are based on legal error. Id.