(SS) Villasenor v. Commissioner of Social Security

I. INTRODUCTION

16 Plaintiff Enrique Villasenor (“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 the Social Security Act (the “Act”). (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.2 II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND On September 21, 2018, Plaintiff protectively filed an application for SSI payments, alleging he became disabled on December 31, 2012, due to back/orthopedic issues. (Administrative Record (“AR”) 19, 79–80, 91–92, 193, 213, 215.) Plaintiff was born on April 25, 1969, and was 49 years 26 1 On July 9, 2021, Kilolo Kijakazi was named Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. See https://www.ssa.gov/history/commissioners.html. She is therefore substituted as the defendant in this action. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) (referring to the “Commissioner’s Answer”); 20 C.F.R. § 422.210(d) (“the person holding the…