Opinion ID: 510727
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Fees for Services at the Administrative Level

Text: 21 Gowen and Pittman also maintain that the district court should have awarded attorney's fees under the Social Security Act for services at both the judicial and administrative levels. We cannot agree. We have previously held that the matter of fees for legal services before the Secretary is committed by 42 U.S.C. Sec. 406(b)(1) to the responsibility of the Secretary exclusively, and compensation for work before an agency may only be authorized by the agency. Fenix v. Finch, 436 F.2d 831, 838 (8th Cir.1971). Other circuits have agreed with this position. See, e.g., Harris v. Secretary of Health & Human Servs., 836 F.2d 496, 497 (10th Cir.1987); Guido v. Schweiker, 775 F.2d 107, 108 (3d Cir.1985). Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in determining that it was without the authority to award fees for representation at the administrative level.