(SS) Russo v. Commissioner of Social Security

I. INTRODUCTION

20 Plaintiff Charles Kenneth Russo (“Plaintiff”) seeks judicial review of a final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security (the “Commissioner” or “Defendant”) denying his application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) under Title XVI of the Social Security Act (the “Act”), 42 U.S.C. § 1383(c). (Doc. 1.) The matter is currently before the Court on the parties’ briefs, which were submitted, without oral argument, to the Honorable Sheila K. Oberto, United States Magistrate Judge.1 /// 28 II. BACKGROUND Plaintiff protectively filed his SSI application on July 7, 2016, alleging disability as of August 29, 2014, due to lumbar spondylosis, bulging disc, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, anxiety, depression, and auditory hallucinations. (Administrative Record (“AR”) 13, 118, 119, 131, 132, 136, 159, 251, 256, 284, 291, 299.) Plaintiff was born on February 10, 1976, and completed two years of college (AR 21, 51, 118, 131, 251, 257, 291, 299.) A. Relevant Medical Evidence2 1. Physical Medical Evidence of Record On July…