(SS) Sanders v. Commissioner of Social Security

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJanuary 21, 2025
Docket1:18-cv-01388
StatusUnknown

This text of (SS) Sanders v. Commissioner of Social Security ((SS) Sanders v. Commissioner of Social Security) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
(SS) Sanders v. Commissioner of Social Security, (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 RONNIE SANDERS, Case No. 1:18-cv-01388-CDB (SS)

12 Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY 13 v. JUDGMENT, GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR VOLUNTARY REMAND, 14 COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY, AND REMANDING TO THE COMMISSIONER FOR FURTHER 15 Defendant. PROCEEDINGS

16 (Docs. 21, 30)

18 19 Plaintiff Ronnie Sanders (“Plaintiff”) seeks judicial review of a final decision of the 20 Commissioner of Social Security (“Commissioner” or “Defendant”) denying his application for 21 disability benefits under the Social Security Act. (Doc. 1). The matter is currently before the 22 Court on the Administrative Record (“AR”) and the parties’ briefs, including Plaintiff’s opening 23 brief in which Plaintiff requests the Court reverse the Commissioner’s decision and award 24 benefits starting May 1, 1997, or, alternatively, remand for further proceedings (Doc. 21); 25 Defendant’s Motion for Voluntary Remand and Opposition to Plaintiff’s Brief (Doc. 30); and 26 Plaintiff’s Reply in Support of Opening Brief and Opposition to the Scope of Remand (Doc. 31).1 27

1 1 Upon review of the Administrative Record (“AR”) and the parties’ briefs, the Court finds 2 and rules as follows. 3 I. BACKGROUND 4 On January 4, 1990, an administrative law judge (“ALJ”) found Plaintiff disabled as of 5 March 6, 1988, and awarded benefits to Plaintiff. (AR 157). After periodic review, it was 6 determined Plaintiff was no longer disabled as of February 1997 (“Cessation Decision”). (AR 7 436). The Cessation Decision was upheld on reconsideration, and Plaintiff requested a hearing 8 before an ALJ. (AR 218). On October 26, 1999, ALJ Michael J. Haubner issued his decision 9 finding Plaintiff’s “disability ceased on February 28, 1997.” (AR 225-26). The Appeals Council 10 denied Plaintiff’s request for review on October 8, 2002. (AR 228). Plaintiff subsequently filed 11 suit in this Court seeking judicial review of ALJ Haubner’s decision. (See AR 230). On March 12 29, 2004, the Court remanded the case to the Commissioner for further proceedings consistent 13 with 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). (AR 231-43). 14 While proceedings concerning the Cessation Decision were ongoing, Plaintiff filed 15 subsequent disability applications on March 25, 2002. (See AR 266). The applications were 16 denied initially and upon reconsideration, and Plaintiff requested a hearing before an ALJ. (See 17 id.). ALJ William C. Thompson, Jr. held a hearing on October 10, 2003, where Plaintiff and a 18 vocational expert (“VE”) testified. (See AR 266, 311-48). On January 22, 2004, ALJ Thompson 19 issued his decision denying Plaintiff’s claim. (AR 266-274). The Appeals Council denied 20 Plaintiff’s request for review on November 14, 2005. (AR 291-93). Plaintiff again filed an action 21 in this Court seeking judicial review of ALJ Thompson’s decision. (AR 301-03). The Court 22 found in favor of the Commissioner on November 16, 2006. (AR 349-65). The Ninth Circuit 23 Court of Appeals affirmed the Court’s decision because “substantial evidence support[ed] the 24 ALJ’s decision.” Sanders v. Astrue, 295 F. App’x 156, 157 (9th Cir. 2008). 25 Proceedings concerning the Cessation Decision continued. ALJ Haubner held a video 26 hearing on June 29, 2006. (See AR 369). In an undated decision, ALJ Haubner found Plaintiff’s 27 disability ended as of February 1, 1997. (AR 369-78). ALJ Haubner indicated the Appeals 1 proceedings such that ALJ Haubner did not have jurisdiction to consider documents related to the 2 subsequent application. (AR 369). Plaintiff sought review of ALJ Haubner’s new decision by the 3 Appeals Council. However, “because the record was missing” and the “Appeals Council was 4 unable to locate or redevelop the completed record,” the Appeals Council remanded the case to an 5 ALJ “to attempt to redevelop the record” and conduct another hearing.2 (See AR 278). 6 On remand, ALJ James P. Berry held a hearing on July 27, 2010. (See AR 278, 287). In a 7 September 8, 2010 decision, ALJ Berry found Plaintiff’s disability ended on February 1, 1997, 8 and Plaintiff had not become disabled again since that date. (AR 278-90). ALJ Berry noted that 9 because ALJ Thompson’s decision, which had been affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, “considered 10 evidence dating from the date of the decision upholding the cessation, to wit, October 26, 1999, 11 [he] need not discuss evidence after that date.” (AR 279). Plaintiff sought review by the Appeals 12 Council but, on review, the Appeals Council could not locate the reconstructed file and concluded 13 it had been destroyed on June 7, 2012. (AR 585). Accordingly, on August 30, 2013, the Appeals 14 Council vacated ALJ Berry’s decision and remanded the case to an ALJ to again reconstruct the 15 record and conduct de novo proceedings. (AR 586). 16 ALJ John Heyer held a hearing on September 22, 2014. (See AR 64). On November 3, 17 2014, ALJ Heyer issued a decision finding Plaintiff’s disability ended February 1, 1997, and 18 Plaintiff had not been disabled again since that date. (AR 64-75). Like ALJ Berry, ALJ Heyer 19 noted that “[b]ecause the decision on claimant’s subsequent applications considered evidence 20 dated after the October 26, 1999 decision upholding claimant’s cessation, [he] need not discuss 21 evidence after that date.” (AR 65). 22 On November 13, 2015, the Appeals Council assumed jurisdiction over the proceedings 23 and remanded the case to the ALJ for further proceedings. (AR 78-79). The Appeals Council 24 explained that because ALJ Thompson’s decision was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit, the Appeals 25 Council did not have jurisdiction to re-adjudicate Plaintiff’s disability between October 26, 1999, 26 and January 22, 2004. (Id.). However, the ALJ was still required to determine whether Plaintiff 27

2 1 had become disabled after the January 22, 2004 decision. (Id.). Thus, the Appeals Council 2 instructed the ALJ to “offer the claimant the opportunity for a hearing, take any further action 3 needed to complete the administrative record, and issue a new decision for the period prior to 4 March 1, 1997 and the period after January 22, 2004.” (AR 79). 5 ALJ Nancy Lisewski held a hearing on August 22, 2016. (See AR 89). On January 23, 6 2017, ALJ Lisewski issued a partially favorable decision on Plaintiff’s claims. (AR 89-108). 7 ALJ Lisewski noted that ALJ Thompson’s decision on Plaintiff’s subsequent applications 8 adjudicated Plaintiff’s disability status from October 26, 1999 through the decision date of 9 January 22, 2004. (AR 89). ALJ Lisewski found that from February 28, 1997 through October 10 26, 1999, Plaintiff was able to perform a significant number of jobs in the national economy such 11 that Plaintiff was not disabled from February 28, 1997 through January 22, 2004. (AR 101-02). 12 Concerning the period after ALJ Thompson’s decision, ALJ Lisewski concluded Plaintiff was not 13 disabled prior to October 7, 2010, but became disabled on that date. (AR 107-08). 14 Based on Plaintiff’s written exceptions to ALJ Lisewski’s decision, the Appeals Council 15 assumed jurisdiction and entered a modified decision on Plaintiff’s claims on August 8, 2018. 16 (AR 114-18). After providing notice of its intention to the parties, the Appeals Council modified 17 the date Plaintiff became disabled to April 21, 2006. (AR 114, 117). The Appeals Council 18 adopted the finding that Plaintiff was not disabled from March 1, 1997 through October 25, 1999, 19 or from January 23, 2004 through April 20, 2006. (Id.). Plaintiff sought review of the Appeals 20 Council’s decision in this Court by filing the current case. (ECF No. 1).

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(SS) Sanders v. Commissioner of Social Security, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ss-sanders-v-commissioner-of-social-security-caed-2025.