The following excerpt is from Littau v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec., No. 2:16-cv-00614-KJN (E.D. Cal. 2017):
Under the Commissioner's regulations, an impairment or combination of impairments is deemed to be severe at step two if it "significantly limits your physical or mental ability to do basic work activities." 20 C.F.R. 404.1520(c), 404.1521(a). "[T]he step-two inquiry is a de minimis screening device to dispose of groundless claims. An impairment or combination of impairments can be found not severe only if the evidence establishes a slight abnormality that has no more than a minimal effect on an individual's ability to work." Smolen v. Chater, 80 F.3d 1273, 1290 (9th Cir. 1996) (internal citations and quotation marks omitted).
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