Atele K. Purcell v. Andrew Saul

INTRODUCTION

Atele P. (“Plaintiff”) filed applications for Disability Insurance Benefits and Supplemental Security Income in December 2016, alleging disability beginning November 25, 2015. See Dkt. 18, Administrative Record (“AR”) AR 396-432.1 After being denied by initial determination, Plaintiff received a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) on June 17, 2019, see

AR 224-43.

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.

Additionally, all citations to the AR are to the record pagination. All other docket citations are to the CM/ECF pagination. The ALJ issued an unfavorable decision on June 26, 2019. See AR 39- 61. 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 the onset date. See AR 44. At step two, the ALJ determined that Plaintiff had the severe impairments of “degenerative disc disease of the cervical and…