Fazeela McCabe v. Commissioner of Social Security

661 F. App'x 596
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
DecidedSeptember 12, 2016
Docket15-14391
StatusUnpublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 661 F. App'x 596 (Fazeela McCabe v. Commissioner of Social Security) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fazeela McCabe v. Commissioner of Social Security, 661 F. App'x 596 (11th Cir. 2016).

Opinion

PER CURIAM:

Fazeela McCabe, a recipient of disability benefits, appeals the district court’s order affirming the Social Security Administration’s (“SSA”) denial of her request for a repayment waiver under 42 U.S.C. § 404(b). The SSA found that McCabe was overpaid disability benefits during a period when she engaged in substantial work without notifying the agency, and for that reason it sought repayment of the benefits from McCabe. On appeal, McCabe argues that she was without fault in causing the benefit overpayment because she did report her work to the SSA, and thus repayment of the benefits should be waived. McCabe also claims that her due process rights were violated at the hearing before the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”). After careful consideration, we affirm.

I.

Our review is limited in social security cases. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). “We review the Commissioner’s decision to determine if it is supported by substantial evidence and based on proper legal standards.” Crawford v. Comm’r of Soc. Sec., 363 F.3d 1155, 1158 (11th Cir. 2004) (per curiam) (quotation omitted). “Substantial evidence is more than a scintilla and is such relevant evidence as a reasonable person would accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Id. (quotation omitted). We may not reweigh the evidence or decide facts for ourselves—the Commissioner’s decision deserves deference “even if the proof preponderates against it.” Dyer v. *598 Barnhart, 395 F.3d 1206, 1210 (11th Cir. 2005) (per curiam) (quotation omitted).

II.

A. Fault

To qualify for disability benefits, a claimant cannot be engaged in “substantial gainful activity”—regardless of her medical condition, age, education, or work experience. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520(b). Substantial gainful activity is work that involves performing “significant physical or mental activities” for pay, even if the work is only on a part-time basis. Id. § 404.1572. Every year, the SSA announces a new threshold for substantial gainful activity. See Social Security Administration, Substantial Gainful Activity, available at https://www.ssa. gov/oactycola/sga.html. The parties do not dispute that McCabe engaged in substantial gainful activity during the relevant period.

The Commissioner shall recover over-payments of benefits whenever more than the correct amount has been paid. 42 U.S.C. § 1383(b)(1)(A). However, recovery of an overpayment may be waived if: (1) the claimant is “without fault”; and (2) recovery would “defeat the purpose of this subchapter or would be against equity and good conscience.” Id. § 404(b)(1). The claimant bears the burden of proving that she was without fault in the overpayment of benefits. Viehman v. Schweiker, 679 F.2d 223, 227 (11th Cir. 1982). Even if the SSA was partially at fault for the overpayment, that fact does not shield the claimant from liability for repayment if she is not without fault. 20 C.F.R. § 404.507. Fault can be shown, for example, where the overpayment of benefits results from the claimant’s failure to provide information she knew or should have known was material. Id. § 404.507(b). The determination of whether a claimant is without- fault is highly subjective, as it depends on the claimant’s state of mind and individual circumstances. See Jefferson v. Bowen, 794 F.2d 631, 633 (11th Cir. 1986).

Substantial evidence supports the ALJ’s determination that McCabe knew of her obligations and responsibilities in receiving benefits, particularly her duty to inform the SSA of her work activity. First, the ALJ properly applied the subjective standard by noting that McCabe had spoken clearly, appeared quite intelligent, and seemed able to understand how disability benefits were administered. See id.; 42 U.S.C. § 404(b)(2). Second, the administrative record shows that McCabe was on notice of her duty to report her work to the SSA, as she filed two forms in 1999 and 2000 that advised her of this duty and warned her of the potential consequences of failing to comply. Other correspondence between McCabe and the SSA also reminded her of her duty to report. Finally, McCabe appears to have actually reported some of her work to the SSA.

Substantial evidence also supports the Appeals Council’s. determination that McCabe was not without fault in causing the overpayment because she did not report her work to the SSA between June 2008 and December 2010. McCabe argued to the Appeals Council that she did report her work during this period by phone, through a program called AAA Takec-harge, which assists recipients of disability benefits in returning to work. However, McCabe did not' identify any record evidence showing that she reported her work during the relevant period, and the Appeals Council found that the record did not contain any such evidence. We conclude that the Appeals Council’s determination was proper. Unlike other times when McCabe reported her work to the SSA, the record contains no confirmations of work reporting during the relevant period. Also, *599 McCabe’s own timeline of events, in which she thoroughly documented her interactions with the SSA, does not contain any reference to her reporting work to the SSA during the relevant period. Thus, the Appeals Council’s implicit rejection of McCabe’s claim that she did report her work during the relevant period is not due to be overturned on appeal. 1 See Tieniber v. Heckler, 720 F.2d 1251, 1255 (11th Cir. 1983) (per curiam) (“[T]his circuit does not require an explicit finding as to credibility ... [but] the implication must be obvious to the reviewing court.”). Substantial evidence supports the finding that McCabe failed to carry her burden of proving she was without fault in causing the overpayment.

B. Due Process

“The fundamental requirement of due process is the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner.” Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 333, 96 S.Ct. 893, 902, 47 L.Ed.2d 18 (1976) (quotation omitted). There must be a showing of prejudice before we will determine that a social security claimant’s due process rights have been violated to such a degree that the case must be remanded to the Commissioner for development of the record. Brown v.

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661 F. App'x 596, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fazeela-mccabe-v-commissioner-of-social-security-ca11-2016.