Court Opinion

ID: 9843153
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 02:28:42.103229+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:14:38.155794
License: Public Domain

WELLFORD, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I fully concur in Judge Batchelder’s opinion.
I write separately only to note that even if Garcia’s inability to communicate effectively in English was properly considered at the Step Five level under 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.1520(f)(1), 416.920(f)(1), it is still doubtful he could prevail. 20 C.F.R. § 404.1564, which deals with education as a factor under Step Five (vocational considerations), refers to “the ability to speak, read, *560and understand English” and the relationship of these abilities to learning “at school; ” thus, the Secretary considers proficiency in English an “educational factor.” Id. §§ 404.1564(b)(5), 416.964(b)(5) (emphasis added). This process ignores, unfortunately, the learning of English at work, at church, during recreation, watching television, or in other contexts besides schooling. In this case, at the time of the ALJ hearing, Garcia had been in this country for eleven years. There is no explanation as to why he has not obtained an adequate “ability to speak, read and/or understand English.” There may be jobs he could perform which require “an ability to understand and speak English at a ‘marginal’ level.” Duran v. Shalala, No. 92-4092, 1994 WL 408186, at *4, *5 (C.D.Ill. Apr. 12, 1994) (affirming Secretary’s finding that claimant, who had lived in this country for thirty years and who held four jobs requiring some ability to speak English, was not functionally disabled at Step Five “mere[ly] ... [because he] accepted the aid of an interpreter at the disability hearing”). A person with limited English speaking or reading ability may be compared to a functionally illiterate person, who may also be capable of working and not disabled under applicable Social Security regulations. See Jurado v. Sullivan, No. 89-2270-V, 1990 WL 57924, at *3 (D.Kan. Mar. 22, 1990).