Easton v. Saul

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 30, 2022
Docket1:20-cv-00718
StatusUnknown

This text of Easton v. Saul (Easton v. Saul) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Easton v. Saul, (N.D. Ill. 2022).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

ANTHONY E., ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) No. 20-cv-00718 v. ) ) Magistrate Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings KILOLO KIJAKAZI, Acting ) Commissioner of Social Security,1 ) ) Defendant. )

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Anthony E. (“Claimant”) brings a motion to reverse the final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security (“Commissioner”) denying his claim for Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”). The Commissioner brings a motion for summary judgment seeking to uphold the decision to deny benefits. The parties have consented to the jurisdiction of a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §636(c). This Court has jurisdiction to hear this matter pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1383(c)(3). For the reasons discussed herein, Claimant’s motion to reverse the decision of the Commissioner, (Dckt. #29), is granted and the Commissioner’s motion for summary judgment, (Dckt. #32), is denied. I. BACKGROUND Claimant received SSI benefits as a child due to limitations from bilateral hearing loss. When he reached the age of eighteen, Claimant’s eligibility for these benefits was reconsidered based on the adult disability standards and, on December 11, 2015, it was determined that Claimant was no longer disabled as of December 1, 2015. (Administrative Record (“R.”) 21).

1 In accordance with Internal Operating Procedure 22 - Privacy in Social Security Opinions, the Court refers to plaintiff only by his first name and the first initial of his last name. Acting Commissioner of Social Security Kilolo Kijakazi has also been substituted as the named defendant. Fed.R.Civ.P. 25(d). This determination was upheld on reconsideration. Claimant filed a timely request for a hearing, which was held on August 1, 2018, before Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) David Skidmore. (R. 33-47). Claimant appeared without counsel. On December 24, 2018, the ALJ issued a written decision denying Claimant’s application for benefits. (R. 19-28). Claimant filed a timely request for review with the Appeals Council. The Appeals Council denied Claimant’s request

for review on December 11, 2019, (R. 1-6), leaving the ALJ’s decision as the final decision of the Commissioner. This action followed. B. The Social Security Administration Standard To qualify for disability benefits, a claimant must demonstrate that he is disabled, meaning he cannot “engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death, or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.” 42 U.S.C. §423(d)(1)(A). Gainful activity is defined as “the kind of work usually done for pay or profit, whether or not a profit is realized.” 20 C.F.R. §404.1572(b).

The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) applies a five-step analysis to disability claims. 20 C.F.R. §404.1520. The SSA first considers whether the claimant has engaged in substantial gainful activity during the claimed period of disability. 20 C.F.R. §404.1520(a)(4)(i). At step two, the ALJ determines whether the claimant has one or more medically determinable physical or mental impairments. 20 C.F.R. §404.1521. An impairment “must result from anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities that can be shown by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques.” Id. In other words, a physical or mental impairment “must be established by objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source.” Id.; Shirley R. v. Saul, 1:18-cv-00429-JVB, 2019 WL 5418118, at *2 (N.D.Ind. Oct. 22, 2019). If a claimant establishes that he has one or more physical or mental impairments, the ALJ then determines whether the impairment(s) standing alone, or in combination, are severe and meet the twelve-month durational requirement noted above. 20 C.F.R. §404.1520(a)(4)(ii). At step three, the SSA compares the impairment or combination of impairments found at

step two to a list of impairments identified in the regulations (“the listings”). The specific criteria that must be met to satisfy a listing are described in Appendix 1 of the regulations. 20 C.F.R. Pt. 404, Subpt. P, App. 1. If the claimant’s impairments meet or “medically equal” a listing, he is considered disabled and no further analysis is required. If a listing is not met, the analysis proceeds. 20 C.F.R. §404.1520(a)(4)(iii). Before turning to the fourth step, the SSA must assess a claimant’s residual functional capacity (“RFC”), meaning his exertional and non-exertional capacity to work despite the limitations imposed by his impairments. Then, at step four, the SSA determines whether the claimant is able to engage in any of his past relevant work. 20 C.F.R. §404.1520(a)(4)(iv). If the

claimant can do so, he is not disabled. Id. If he cannot undertake his past work, the SSA proceeds to step five to determine whether a substantial number of jobs exist that the claimant can perform given his RFC, age, education, and work experience. If such jobs exist, the individual is not disabled. 20 C.F.R. §404.1520(a)(4)(v). C. The Evidence Presented to the ALJ Claimant seeks SSI benefits due to limitations from bilateral hearing loss and unspecified learning disabilities. Because the only issues raised by Claimant in the instant case relate to his learning disabilities, the Court will limit its discussion of the evidence accordingly. 1. Evidence from Claimant’s School Records Due to Claimant’s specific learning needs, he received Individual Education Program (“IEP”) assessments throughout high school. (R. 265-88, 289-93, 294-95). Claimant also received special education instruction and required various learning accommodations. During a 2010 psychological evaluation, Claimant’s IQ was found to be in the fourth

percentile, which is considered “borderline” intellectual functioning. (R. 291). However, his performance “indicated average cognitive abilities when language skills were not required.” (Id.). In 2013, when Claimant was fifteen years old and in ninth grade, the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement indicated that Claimant was “below average” in all areas tested and only in the sixth percentile overall. (R. 289). Claimant’s IEP from the same year indicated that he was functioning below grade level expectations in all core academic areas. (R. 290). Claimant’s IEP was reassessed in May 2015, when Claimant was in the tenth grade. At that time, the evaluator indicated that Claimant struggled to learn new materials in math class “and need[ed] information retaught to him several times for him to have a basic understanding of

the task at hand.” (R. 266).

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Easton v. Saul, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/easton-v-saul-ilnd-2022.