Maria Milagros Torres v. Andrew M. Saul

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff applied for DIB and SSI on August 14, 2015, alleging disability beginning December 15, 2014. See Dkt. 16, Administrative Record (“AR”) 10. After being denied initially and on reconsideration, Plaintiff requested and

1 The Court partially redacts Plaintiff’s name in compliance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(c)(2)(B) and the recommendation of the Committee on Court Administration and Case Management of the Judicial Conference of the United States. received a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) on March 5, 2018. See AR 30-68. On May 25, 2018, the ALJ denied Plaintiffs claim for benefits. See AR 7-22. The ALJ followed the five-step sequential evaluation process for determining whether an individual is disabled. At step one, the ALJ found that Plaintiff had not engaged in substantial gainful activity since her application date. See AR 13. At step two, the ALJ determined that Plaintiff had the severe impairment of degenerative joint disease of the left knee. See id. At step three, the ALJ determined that Plaintiff did not have an impairment or combination of impairments that met or medically equaled one of the listed impairments in 20…