(SS) Montoya v. Commissioner of Social Security

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 MARK STERLING MONTOYA, No. 2:18-cv-01081 JAM CKD Plaintiff, v. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ANDREW M. SAUL, Commissioner of Social Security, 15 Defendant.

17 Plaintiff seeks judicial review of a final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security (“Commissioner”) denying an application for Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) under Title XVI of the Social Security Act (“Act”). For the reasons discussed below, the undersigned will recommend that plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment be denied and the Commissioner’s cross-motion for summary judgment be granted. BACKGROUND Plaintiff, born in 1968, applied on July 22, 2014 for Title II disability insurance benefits, alleging disability beginning June 13, 2013. Administrative Transcript (“AT”) 13, 25. Plaintiff alleged he was unable to work due to anxiety, bipolar disorder, L5-S1 spinal fusion, herniated discs, and incontinence. AT 227. In a decision dated March 14, 2017, the ALJ…