Sullivan v. Zebley
| Sullivan v. Zebley | |
|---|---|
| Argued November 28, 1989 Decided February 20, 1990 | |
| Full case name | Louis Wade Sullivan, Secretary of Health and Human Services v. Brian Zebley, et al. |
| Citations | 493 U.S. 521 (more) 110 S. Ct. 885; 107 L. Ed. 2d 967; 1990 U.S. LEXIS 882 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Zebley v. Heckler, 642 F. Supp. 220 (E.D. Pa. 1986); vacated in part, Zebley v. Bowen, 855 F.2d 67 (3d Cir. 1988); cert. granted, 490 U.S. 1064 (1989). |
| Holding | |
| Substantial parts of the Supplemental Security Income regulations determining disability for children were inconsistent with the Social Security Act, particularly the statutory standard of “comparable severity.” | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Blackmun, joined by Brennan, Marshall, Stevens, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy |
| Dissent | White, joined by Rehnquist |
| Laws applied | |
| 42 U.S.C. § 1381 et seq. | |
Sullivan v. Zebley, 493 U.S. 521 (1990), was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court involving the determination of childhood Social Security Disability benefits. In the decision, the Supreme Court ruled that substantial parts of the Supplemental Security Income program's regulation on determining disability for children were inconsistent with the Social Security Act, particularly the statutory standard of "comparable severity". The suit highlighted what some felt was the need for a step in the evaluation of childhood disability claims that would be akin to the functional evaluation considered in many adult claims. It resulted in the addition of a consideration of functioning, and not merely medical severity, in children's SSI claims. The decision was rendered on February 20, 1990.