High Court Upholds Limit on Eligibility for Disability Benefit

The Supreme Court, in a victory for the Reagan Administration, today made it easier for the government to limit those eligible for Social Security disability benefits.

On a 6-3 vote, the justices said such benefits may be denied those who can perform basic work activities even if they can no longer do their past jobs.

The court also refused to force the Reagan Administration to adopt rules for reducing acid rain in the United States and Canada.

And in another action, the justices agreed to study the CIA’s firing of a homosexual agent in a case that could decide the employment rights of gays.

The ruling in the disability case, from Washington state, backed the Administration, which is taking a tough line on the more than 2 million claims for Social Security disability benefits each year. It is not clear how many of those will be affected by today’s decision.

Justice Lewis F. Powell, writing for the court, said the government may deny benefits to someone who is not severely disabled without examining the individual’s age, education and work experience.

‘Increases Reliability’

The government’s streamlined procedure “increases the efficiency and reliability of the evaluation process by identifying at an early stage those claimants whose medical impairments are so slight that it is unlikely they would be found to be disabled even if their age, education and experience were taken into account,” Powell said.

The court ruled against Janet Yuckert of Seattle, who was refused benefits despite a middle-ear condition that causes her dizzy spells and other problems. She said she is unable to work.

When she applied for benefits in 1980 at age 45, she was enrolled in a computer training program and had worked as a travel agent and real estate broker.

She said that her illness requires her to rest her eyes every 30 minutes while reading and that she has to take naps two or three times a day.

The Health and Human Service Department ruled that she did not suffer from a severe impairment that significantly limits her ability to perform basic work-related activities. The decision was based solely on medical evidence without taking Yuckert’s age, education and work experience into account.

Review Begun in ’81

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overruled the federal agency, saying medical and vocational factors must be considered together in determining disability.

The Reagan Administration began a broad review of disability claims in 1981 with an eye toward disqualifying those found capable of working. The review was halted in 1984 in response to congressional criticism.

The Administration began a new review based on a 1984 law that prohibits a cutoff in benefits unless the recipient’s medical condition has improved. The future of that process was not at stake in the case acted on today.

Dissenting today were Justices Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan and Thurgood Marshall.

In the acid rain case, the court, without comment, rejected appeals by eight Northeastern states, a Canadian province and environmental groups seeking to bind the government to a pollution-control commitment made by the former Carter Administration.

In the CIA case, the justices voted to hear the agency’s arguments that its personnel decisions may not be reviewed by federal courts.