Opinion ID: 776351
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: TIAA's Decision to Deny Dr. Ferrari Continuing Benefits

Text: 16 Because we review TIAA's decision under an abuse of discretion standard, we must affirm if a reasonable person could have reached a similar decision, given the evidence before him, not that a reasonable person would have reached that decision. Cash v. Wal-Mart Group Health Plan, 107 F.3d 637, 641 (8th Cir. 1997) (internal quotation omitted). Under the abuse of discretion standard, the TIAA plan administrator's decision will stand if a reasonable person could have reached a similar decision. Id. In evaluating reasonableness, the court determines whether the decision is supported by substantial evidence which is more than a scintilla, but less than a preponderance. Woo, 144 F.3d at 1162 (internal quotation omitted). As we determined in Part III, supra, we consider only the evidence that was before the plan administrator when the decision to deny continuing benefits was made. We do not, however, substitute our own weighing of the evidence for that of the administrator. See Cash, 107 F.3d at 641. 17 The issue before TIAA's plan decision-maker was whether Dr. Ferrari's hearing loss rendered him totally or partially disabled as to the performance of occupations for which he was reasonably suited by education, training or experience, so that he was entitled to continued benefits under the Plan. The district court correctly employed this circuit's five-factor test in determining whether a plan decision-maker's interpretation of the plan, which leads to the denial of a claim, is reasonable. 4 We see no need here to repeat the district court's thorough analysis. After a review of all of the evidence in the administrative record, we conclude that there is substantial evidence to support a finding by TIAA that after August 31, 1998 Dr. Ferrari no longer met the disability definition of the Plan. We therefore hold that TIAA did not abuse its discretion in deciding not to continue Dr. Ferrari's benefits. 18 We affirm.