Opinion ID: 1427531
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Preclusive Effect of Prior Disability Determination

Text: As discussed above, Stubbs-Danielson received SSI benefits from 1986 until her incarceration in 1994, which resulted in termination of benefits. She argues the ALJ erred in failing to apply a presumption of disability based on this earlier receipt of benefits. In Warren v. Bowen, 804 F.2d 1120 (9th Cir.1987) (per curiam), this court held that while the social security administrator may be foreclosed from reevaluating the disability determinations for current beneficiary recipients, the administrator is not required to presume that a previous disability has continued through a non-medically related termination of benefits. Id. at 1121. We examined then-existing regulations which provided that an applicant whose benefits were terminated for a non-medical reason would not be required to resubmit evidence of his disability if the re-application came within one year of the prior termination. Id. (citing 20 C.F.R. § 416.1321(b) (1986)). We reasoned that such regulations supported the position that a presumption of disability should not extend to an applicant whose re-application came almost three yearsi.e., more than one yearafter a non-medical termination. Id. The existing regulations compel the same result in this case. The current regulations state that a claimant's benefits are suspended upon incarceration, and after 12 months of continuous suspension, benefits are terminated. See 20 C.F.R. §§ 416.1325, 416.1335. While the regulations provide for the resumption of suspended benefits upon an otherwise eligible recipient's release from custody, see 20 C.F.R. § 416.1325(b), they provide for no such reinstatement where a recipient's eligibility has been terminated after 12 consecutive months of suspension. Accordingly, there is no basis for applying a presumption of continuing disability where, as here, a claimant's reapplication comes at least 6 years after a termination of benefits and more than 15 years after her previously successful application. Our decision in Chavez v. Bowen, 844 F.2d 691 (9th Cir.1988), does not compel a contrary result. In Chavez, we observed that principles of res judicata apply to administrative decisions regarding disability and impose an obligation on the claimant, in instances where a prior ALJ has made a finding of non-disability, to come forward with evidence of changed circumstances in order to overcome a presumption of continuing non-disability. Id. at 693. We also explained that a previous ALJ's findings concerning residual functional capacity, education, and work experience are entitled to some res judicata consideration and such findings cannot be reconsidered by a subsequent judge absent new information not presented to the first judge. Id. at 694. Stubbs-Danielson has cited no authority extending the principles of Chavez, which applied preclusive effect to a prior finding of non-disability, to the present context, an attempt to apply that same presumption to a prior finding of disability. Further, Stubbs-Danielson has not established that the ALJ improperly reconsidered prior findings, i.e., reconsidered prior findings based strictly on information already presented to the first judge. The entirety of the medical evaluations presented with respect to the present application were conducted after Stubbs-Danielson's 1984 initial disability determination. These evaluations necessarily presented new and material information not presented to the first ALJ.