Opinion ID: 450642
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Merits of Boettcher's Due Process Challenge

Text: 16 Boettcher claims that the Secretary has raised a powerful deterrent to the exercise of his right to a hearing by requiring a de novo hearing, rather than one limited solely to the issue of the onset date of his disability. Boettcher contends he is denied a fair hearing if he is not permitted a hearing limited solely to that portion of a prior determination unfavorable to him. This is a novel claim, and neither Boettcher nor the Secretary cite any authority directly addressing it. 17 We look to Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 335, 96 S.Ct. at 903, to determine what process is due. That court examined: 18 the private interest that will be affected by the official action; the risk of an erroneous deprivation of such interest through the procedures used, and the probable value, if any, of additional or substitute procedural safeguards; and the Government's interest, including the function involved and the fiscal and administrative burdens that the additional or substitute procedural requirement would entail. 19 Id. (citation omitted). 20 Boettcher misperceives the balance of interests at stake. The claimant is not the only one who stands to benefit from a full hearing. See Bowman v. Heckler, 706 F.2d 564, 568 (5th Cir.1983) (ALJ's duty to conduct full and fair hearing is not limited to an inquiry that is full and fair to the claimant). The government's interests must be weighed in the balance as well. One of the government's interests, an interest it shares with the claimant, is to avoid an erroneous deprivation of benefits. 21 Under the statutory scheme, initial and reconsideration determinations are made by a state agency based only on paper reviews. The hearing requested by a claimant usually affords the first opportunity for an adjudicator to see the claimant in person and to engage in a searching factual inquiry. The hearing should result in more accurate decision-making. 22 Furthermore, Boettcher's position is foreclosed by specific sections of the Social Security Act itself. The Act empowers the Secretary to conduct hearings on her own motion as she deems necessary. See 42 U.S.C. Sec. 405(b). The Secretary also is authorized to conduct de novo review of disability determinations made by state agencies, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 421(c)(1), and, in fact, is compelled to undertake such review in a specified percentage of cases, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 421(c)(2), (3). If the Secretary is empowered to review disability determinations on her own motion, then Boettcher's argument is reduced to a contention that such reconsideration must take place in a hearing separate from the one requested by the claimant. But this is nonsensical and wasteful. 23 We have found only two cases presenting due process claims analogous to those Boettcher raises here. Both support our conclusion that Boettcher's claim is meritless. In Herd v. Folsom, 231 F.2d 276 (7th Cir.1956), a hearing referee concluded that Herd's children were equitably adopted by the deceased wage earner. The Appeals Council, reviewing the decision on its own motion, rejected the claim on a different ground, i.e., that Herd was not the wage earner's widow within the meaning of the act. The court of appeals rejected Herd's contention that the consideration of an additional issue deprived her of an opportunity to be heard. Id. at 279. The court concluded that the Appeals Council was empowered to raise new issues on its own motion and that the plaintiff could not be heard to complain since she had been given adequate notice of the issues the Council would address. Id. at 278-79. 24 In Cox v. Mathews, 421 F.Supp. 721 (N.D.Cal.1976), rev'd on other grounds, 587 F.2d 988 (9th Cir.1978), Cox's application for benefits was denied by the SSA. The ALJ, following a de novo hearing, determined that Cox was entitled to benefits but that his disability had ceased two days before the hearing. Cox contended he was denied due process because both eligibility and the date of cessation were determined in a single hearing. The court rejected the challenge, noting that it was reasonable and efficient to hold a single hearing to determine the fact of disability, its extent, and its duration. Id. at 724. The court concluded this provided an opportunity to be heard under Mathews v. Eldridge. Id. 25 We conclude Boettcher has been afforded all the procedural protections to which he was entitled. He was given notice of the issues to be addressed at the hearing. He was permitted an opportunity for a full hearing, at which he could present evidence and argument, cross-examine witnesses, and be represented by counsel. If the substantive determination of the ALJ had been unfavorable to Boettcher, he would have had a full panoply of appellate recourse both within the agency and in the federal courts. The essence of due process is the opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner. Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 333, 96 S.Ct. at 902. The procedures provided under the Social Security Act afforded Boettcher exactly that. At the same time, an opportunity to be heard reduces the risk of error and enhances the opportunity to present all the relevant facts. See Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565, 580, 95 S.Ct. 729, 739, 42 L.Ed.2d 725 (1975); see also Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 344, 96 S.Ct. at 907. This truth-finding function runs to the benefit of both the claimant and the government. 4 III. CONCLUSION 26 Boettcher's due process claim is meritless. Accordingly, the district court's dismissal of Boettcher's action is 27 AFFIRMED.