Court Opinion

ID: 9429193
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:25:56.708171+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:17.776569
License: Public Domain

Justice Marshall,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
While I agree that the Secretary’s medical-vocational guidelines are valid, I believe that this case presents the additional question whether the Administrative Law Judge fulfilled his obligation to “loo[k] fully into the issues.” 20 CFR §404.944 (1982). See Richardson v. Perales, 402 U. S. 389, 410 (1971) (at the hearing the administrative law judge is required to “ac[t] as an examiner charged with developing the facts”). I would therefore remand this case for further proceedings.
I do not agree with the Court, ante, at 468-469, that the decision below does not question the adequacy of the Administrative Law Judge’s inquiry at the hearing. Although the Court of Appeals’ opinion is not entirely clear, the court ap*474pears to have concluded that Campbell was not given an adequate opportunity to demonstrate that she was unable to perform “light work.” The court explained as follows:
“ ‘The key consideration in the administrative proceeding must be that the claimant be given adequate opportunity to challenge the suitability ... of the jobs noticed. . . .’ [0]ur major concern is that the claimant be given adequate notice of the nature and demands of the types of jobs allegedly available. Absent sufficient notice, the claimant is deprived of any real chance to present evidence showing that she cannot in fact perform the types of jobs that are administratively noticed by the guidelines. This is particularly true in Ms. Campbell’s case where the ALJ gave no indication of any specific ‘light work’ jobs that she was capable of performing . . . .” Campbell v. Secretary of Dept. of Health and Human Services, 665 F. 2d 48, 53-54 (CA2 1981), quoting Decker v. Harris, 647 F. 2d 291, 298 (CA2 1981).1
The Court of Appeals remanded the case for further administrative proceedings at which Campbell would be given “a listing of particular types of jobs suitable to the capabilities of Ms. Campbell.” 665 F. 2d, at 54.
The Court of Appeals’ concern was amply justified in light of the hearing that was conducted in this case. The central *475issue at respondent’s hearing was whether she was capable of performing “light work.”2 If Campbell had shown that she was unable to perform “light work,” she would have been entitled to disability benefits under the Secretary’s guidelines. Although Campbell was afforded a hearing to determine whether she was disabled, she was never apprised of this central issue either in advance of or during the hearing. She was not represented by counsel, and the Administrative Law Judge who conducted the hearing never explained to her what “light work” entailed. Moreover, although the judge inquired at length into respondent’s medical problems, he conducted little inquiry into the effect of her medical problems on her capacity to perform work. Yet reasonably complete questioning concerning the claimant’s ability to function in her daily activity was essential to resolving this question in a fair manner.3
*476The above-quoted portions of the Court of Appeals’ decision demonstrate to my satisfaction that the question whether respondent received an adequate hearing is fairly raised by the decision below. It would have been well within the Court of Appeals’ authority under 42 U. S. C. § 405(g) (1976 ed., Supp. V) to order a new hearing if the court concluded that the Administrative Law Judge failed to conduct an adequate inquiry.4 That appears to be just what the court did when it remanded the case. The court required the judge to fulfill his obligation to elicit testimony concerning respondent’s capacity to perform “light work” by giving her a few examples of specific types of “light work” and allowing her to explain why she is unable to perform such work.

 It was certainly not anticipated that this procedure “would limit severely [the Secretary’s] ability to rely on the medical-vocational guidelines,” ante, at 470, or “rende[r] the guidelines useless.” Ante, at 465. The court noted simply that
“if there are [approximately 1,600 types of ‘light work’] jobs available, it would not be too great a burden for the Secretary or the ALJ to specify a few suitable alternative available types of jobs so that a claimant is given an opportunity to show that she is incapable of performing those jobs. Moreover, we stress that the jobs should be specified at the hearing so that the claimant has a chance to put evidence into the record on that issue.” 665 F. 2d, at 54.

 “Light work” is defined in the regulations as follows:
“(b) Light work. Light work involves lifting no more than 20 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to 10 pounds. Even though the weight lifted may be very little, a job is in this category when it requires a good deal of walking or standing, or when it involves sitting most of the time with some pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. To be considered capable of performing a full or wide range of light work, you must have the ability to do substantially all of these activities.” 20 CFR §404.1567 (1982).

 The availability of medical evidence, much of which supported respondent’s claim of disability, was no substitute for an examination of the claimant herself.
“[I]f the hearing is meant to be an individualized inquiry into how this claimant’s functioning is impaired by his medical conditions, then that evidence must almost certainly come from the claimant himself, or from people who come in contact with him in his daily life. Since in most hearings no one other than the claimant is there to testify to his daily activities, who does not also have an interest in the success of the claim, it is imperative that ALJs draw out of the claimants, in great detail, information about how they function with their limitations. This is the crucial arena for credibility judgments by ALJs. Moreover, it seems clear that such judgments will necessarily be made, whether or not the claimant’s situation is fully *476explored by the ALJ.” Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Social Security Administrative Law Judges: Survey and Issue Paper, 96th Cong., 1st Sess., 47 (Comm. Print 1979).

 See, e. g., Currier v. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, 612 F. 2d 594, 598 (CA1 1980); Veal v. Califano, 610 F. 2d 495, 497-498 (CA8 1979); Cox v. Califano, 587 F. 2d 988, 990-991 (CA9 1978); Copley v. Richardson, 475 F. 2d 772, 773-774 (CA6 1973).