Rose v. Finch

303 F. Supp. 921, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10366
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 15, 1969
DocketCiv. A. No. 68-472
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 303 F. Supp. 921 (Rose v. Finch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rose v. Finch, 303 F. Supp. 921, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10366 (W.D. Pa. 1969).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

MARSH, Chief Judge.

On December 9, 1966, plaintiff filed with the Social Security Administration an application for Disability Insurance Benefits under §§ 216 (i) and 223 of the Social Security Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 416(i), 423,1 alleging that he first became unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity on March 2, 1966. His application was denied by the Division of Evaluation and Authorization and by the Division of Reconsideration, Bureau of Disability Insurance, and at plaintiff’s request a hearing was had on January 5, 1968, before a hearing examiner of the Social Security Administration, Bureau of Hearings and Appeals, who also denied plaintiff’s claim.2 On April 12, 1968, the Appeals Council of the Social Security Administration advised plaintiff that his request for a review of the hearing examiner’s decision was denied; whereupon, pursuant to § 205(g) of the Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 405(g), plaintiff commenced this action to obtain a judicial review of the decision of the Secretary denying plaintiff’s claim.3 With his answer to plaintiff’s complaint, defendant filed a certified copy of the transcript of the record of the proceedings before the Social Security Administration in compliance with § 205(g) of the Act, supra, and subsequently moved for summary judgment.

[923]*923Section 205(g), supra, provides in its pertinent part as follows:

“The court shall have power to enter, upon the pleadings and transcript of the record, a judgment affirming, modifying, or reversing the decision of the Secretary, with or without remanding the cause for a rehearing. The findings of the Secretary as to any fact, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive * * *.”

Under § 205(g) and under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq., we are limited to “ascertaining whether on the record as a whole there is substantial evidence to support the Secretary’s findings of fact.” Goldman v. Folsom, 246 F.2d 776, 778 (3d Cir. 1957); Ferenz v. Folsom, 237 F.2d 46 (3d Cir. 1956). “Our judicial duty therefore is to satisfy ourselves that the agency determination has warrant in the record, viewing that record as a whole, and a reasonable basis in law. [Citations omitted.]” Boyd v. Folsom, 257 F.2d 778, 781 (3d Cir. 1958). See also, Braun v. Ribicoff, 292 F.2d 354, 357 (3d Cir. 1961).

The plaintiff last met the earnings requirements of the Act on December 31, 1964.4 Therefore, the Social Security Administration could have awarded disability benefits to plaintiff only if he proved that he was disabled, within the meaning of the Act, on or before that date.

Section 223(d) of the Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 423(d), defines “disability” for purposes of governing disability insurance benefits as follows:

“(d) (1) The term ‘disability’ means—
“(A) inability 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;
«* * * * * *
“(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) (A)—
“(A) an individual * * * shall be determined to be under a disability only if his physical or mental impairment or impairments are of such severity that he is not only unable to do his previous work but cannot, considering his age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the national economy, regardless of whether such work exists in the immediate area in which he lives, or whether a specific job vacancy exists for him, or whether he would be hired if he applied for work. For purposes of the preceding sentence (with respect to any individual), 'work which exists in the national economy’ means work which exists in significant numbers either in the region where such individual lives or in several regions of the country.
« * * * * * *
“(3) For purposes of this subsection, a ‘physical or mental impairment’ is an impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities which are demonstrable by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques.
“ * * * * * *
“(5) An individual shall not be considered to be under a disability unless he furnishes such medical and other evidence of the existence thereof as the Secretary may require.
«* * *

The definition of “disability” under § 216(i) (1) of the Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 416(i) (1), is the same.

The above amendments, approved January 2, 1968, are made applicable tc the present case by § 158(e) Pub.L. 90-248, 81 Stat. 869, which provides that [924]*924the amendments “shall be effective with respect to applications for disability insurance benefits under section 223 of the Social Security Act, and for disability determinations under section 216 (i) of such Act”, where the decision in a civil action commenced under § 205(g) has not become final before the month of their enactment.

We have reviewed the record upon which the Appeals Council based its decision and conclude that on the record as a whole, the Secretary’s decision that the plaintiff was not disabled within the meaning of the Act, on or before December 31, 1964 is supported by substantial evidence.

Plaintiff, who at the time of the hearing was 47 years old, had subjective complaints of shortness of breath (due to silicosis), pains in the hands and wrists (due to arthritis) and vertigo (dizzy spells). Reports of the examining physicians corroborated these complaints. Dr. Hoffman, on December 12, 1966, reported that plaintiff had numbness and tingling in his arms and hands and noted that plaintiff had a dizzy spell in 1964 at his daughter’s wedding. On the same day, Dr. Rosenbaum reported numbness and pain in plaintiff’s wrists, attributable to arthritis, which had been progressively worsening since 1965 with resulting restricted motion, and dyspnea on slight exertion. According to Dr. Rosenbaum, the dyspnea had been bothering plaintiff for “over one year” (R., p. 189).

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Kalan v. Finch
314 F. Supp. 829 (W.D. Pennsylvania, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
303 F. Supp. 921, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10366, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rose-v-finch-pawd-1969.