IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
______________________
No. 98-60126
Summary Calendar
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JUATASSA SIMS,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
KENNETH S. APFEL,
COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY,
Defendant-Appellee.
________________________________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Mississippi
USDC No. 2:97-CV-94-B
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November 6, 1998
Before POLITZ, Chief Judge, STEWART and PARKER, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Juatassa Sims appeals the district court’s affirmance of the Commissioner’s
denial of her application for disability insurance benefits, contending that the
administrative law judge: (1) failed to afford proper weight to a psychologist’s
opinion that she was severely depressed; (2) improperly excluded certain of her
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the Court has determined that this opinion should not be
published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5 TH CIR. R.
47.5.4.
impairments in assessing her residual function capacity; and (3) should have
ordered a consultative examination to assess her mental impairments. We affirm.
We lack jurisdiction to review Sims’s second and third contentions because they
were not raised before the Appeals Council.1 The first contention is without merit
because the ALJ is entitled and expected to determine the credibility of medical
experts and to weigh their opinions accordingly.2 Concluding that the findings of
the ALJ are supported by substantial evidence, the judgment appealed is
AFFIRMED.3
1
Paul v. Shalala, 29 F.3d 208 (5th Cir. 1994).
2
Greenspan v. Shalala, 38 F.3d 232 (5th Cir. 1994).
3
Villa v. Sullivan, 895 F.2d 1019 (5th Cir. 1990).
2