Hart v. Colvin

310 F.R.D. 427, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140730, 2015 WL 5915434
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedOctober 14, 2015
DocketCase No. 15-cv-00623-JST
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 310 F.R.D. 427 (Hart v. Colvin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hart v. Colvin, 310 F.R.D. 427, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140730, 2015 WL 5915434 (N.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING CLASS CERTIFICATION

Re: ECF No. 40

JON S. TIGAR, United States District Judge

This is a putative class action about the evidence that Administrative Law Judges (“ALJs”) may properly consider in determining whether claimants are entitled to disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (“SSA”). Plaintiffs have sued Defendant Carolyn W. Colvin in her capacity as Acting Commissioner of Social Security, ECF No. 1, challenging the SSA’s alleged reliance on consultative examinations performed by Dr. Frank Chen, a physician who is now disqualified, in denying or terminating disability benefits. Id. ¶ 1. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief requiring the SSA to cease relying on Dr. Chen’s reports, to reopen any benefits determination that relied, at least in part, on a report prepared by Dr. Chen, and to notify those individuals whose benefits have been denied or terminated of their right to these forms of relief. Id. at 23-24.1

Now before the Court is Plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification. ECF No. 40. For the reasons set forth below, the Court will grant the motion.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

To obtain benefits based on disability under the Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) or Social Security Disability Insurance (“SSDI”) programs, a claimant must be unable “to 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.” ECF No. 1 ¶ 2 (citing 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(1)(A)). Federal law provides that “[objective medical evidence of pain or other symptoms established by medically acceptable clinical or laboratory techniques.. .must be considered in reaching a conclusion as to whether [a claimant] is under a disability.” 42 U.S.C. § 423(d)(5)(A). SSA, which administers the SSI and SSDI programs, is required to “establish by regulation uniform standards which shall be applied at all levels of determination, review, and adjudication in determining whether individuals are under disabilities.” 42 U.S.C. § 421(k)(l). The regulations promulgated pursuant to the Social Security [430]*430Act require that claimants provide SSA with “evidence from acceptable medical sources to establish whether [an individual has] a medically determinable impairment(s).” ECF No. 1 ¶ 3 (citing 20 C.F.R. § 404.1513(a)). “Objective medical evidence of pain or other symptoms established by medically acceptable clinical or laboratory techniques ... must be considered in reaching a conclusion as to whether [a claimant] is under a disability.”

Although SSA administers SSI and SSDI, it contracts with state agencies, such as the Disability Determination Service Division of the California Department of Social Services (“DDSD”), to make disability determinations. Id. ¶ 80. If DDSD cannot get the information it needs to make a disability determination from a claimant’s own medical records, DDSD may decide to purchase a consultative examination (“CE”). 20 C.F.R. § 404.1519a. CEs are examinations performed by doctors or other medical professionals who contract with DDSD. ECF No. 1 ¶ 85. Following a CE, the examiner sends a report regarding the claimant to DDSD. Id. ¶ 87. SSA has promulgated various guidelines regarding the standards for CEs and the consideration of CE reports. Id. ¶¶ 88-93. In particular, SSA regulations require that evidence used in making disability determinations, such as CE reports, must come from “acceptable medical sources.” 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1513(a), 404.1519(g). “Acceptable medical sources” include “[l]ieensed physician[s].” Id. §§ 404.1513(a)(1), 416.913(a)(1).

SSA regulations require adjudicators to “always consider” CE reports along with the rest of the relevant evidence in making a disability determination. Id. §§ 404.1527(b), 416.927(b); see also ECF No. 46 at 3. “Regardless of its source, [SSA adjudicators] will evaluate every medical opinion,” including every CE, the adjudicator receives in light of multiple factors to “determínete] the weight,” if any, the opinion should be given. 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1527(c)(2), 416.927(b). Even after an examiner has been disqualified, SSA regulations permit adjudicators to rely on existing CE reports prepared by the disqualified examiner. ECF No. 1 at ¶ 99 (citing 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1503, 416.903a (“We will not use in our program any individual or entity, except to provide existing medical evidence, who is currently excluded, suspended, or otherwise barred from participation in... any other Federal or Federally-assisted program.”)).

Named Plaintiffs Kevin Hart, Nina Silva-Collins, and Lee Harris all sought the award or renewal of disability benefits from SSA. Dr. Frank Chen performed CEs on all of the Named Plaintiffs in connection with their applications for award or renewal of disability benefits. Named Plaintiffs allege various deficiencies with these examinations.

Plaintiff Hart suffered from “tremendous pain and limited mobility,” following a 2007 car accident, as well as “diabetes and emphysema.” Id. ¶ 17. Hart was found disabled by an ALJ in April 2010. Id. ¶ 23. In April of 2013, Hart was attacked violently, exacerbating his pre-existing pain and causing additional serious health conditions. Id. ¶ 24-25. Hart was scheduled for a continuing disability review in 2013 and referred to Dr. Chen. Id. ¶ 26. Dr. Chen’s August 15, 2013 examination of Plaintiff Hart lasted only ten minutes. Id. ¶ 28. Dr. Chen submitted a report that misidentified Hart’s complaints and claimed that he had performed tests that he had not actually performed during his examination. Id. ¶¶ 29-32. SSA relied on Dr. Chen’s evaluation in terminating Hart’s benefits on September 11, 2013. Id. ¶ 34. Following a subsequent hearing, a Disability Hearing Officer concluded in a March 17, 2014 order that Hart’s physical impairments had “medically improved” and that Hart was “able to do medium work activities” based upon Dr. Chen’s report. Id. ¶ 35. The Officer found Dr. Chen’s report “more reasonable as consistent and supported by medical evidence” than another doctor’s report that had been submitted by Hart. Id.

Plaintiff Silva-Collins suffers from “severe, chronic anemia caused by menorrhagia (abnormally heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding), lumbar degenerative disc disease, depression, anxiety, asthma, and hypertension.” Id. ¶ 38. Silva-Collins was examined by Dr. Chen on August 10, 2013, after an ALJ determined that a CE was necessary to evaluate her claims. Id. ¶ 41. Dr. Chen’s examination of Silva-Collins lasted only ten minutes. Id. ¶ 42. Dr. Chen diagnosed Silva-Collins with “[l]ow back pain, possibly due to obesity,” and “obesity.” Id. ¶ 44. Dr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
310 F.R.D. 427, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140730, 2015 WL 5915434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hart-v-colvin-cand-2015.