RICHARD SCHWEIKER, ET AL., PETITIONERS V. JAMES CHILICKY, ET AL.

   No. 86-1781

   In the Supreme Court of the United States

   October Term, 1987

   On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit

   Brief for the Petitioners

                      PARTIES TO THE PROCEEDINGS

   The petitioners are Richard Schweiker, former Secretary of Health
and Human Services;  John Svahn, former Commissioner of Social
Security;  and William R. Simms, Director of the Arizona Disability
Determination Service.  Respondents are James Chilicky, Dora Adelerte,
and Spencer Harris.  /*/

           TABLE OF CONTENTS
   Question Presented
   Opinions below
   Jurisdiction
   Statutory provisions involved
   Statement:
     A. The statutory and regulatory framework
        1. Procedural provisions
        2. Continuing disability review
     B. The proceedings in this case
   Summary of argument
   Argument:
     A disability claimant challenging the termination of his
     benefits must follow the administrative and judicial review
     procedures prescribed by Congress and may not also seek
     damages under an implied constitutional cause of action
     against officials responsible for the termination
     A. Introduction
     B. Congress has expressly declared that the Social Security Act
        provides the exclusive mode of redress for a wrongful
        termination of disability benefits
     C. Congress has completely occupied the field of social security
        disability benefits with a carefully drawn, comprehensive
        set of procedures that provide meaningful remedies for any
        constitutional violations that might occur in the processing
        of claims for benefits
     D. The sheer size of the social security system is a special
        factor that counsels against judicial creation of a damages
        remedy
   Conclusion

                            OPINIONS BELOW

   The opinion of the court of appeals (Pet. App. 1a-14a) is reported
at 796 F.2d 1131.  The opinion of the district court (Pet. App.
15a-18a) is unreported.

                             JURISDICTION

   The judgment of the court of appeals (Pet. App. 19a-20a) was
entered on August 12, 1986.  A petition for rehearing with suggestion
for rehearing en banc was denied on December 8, 1986 (Pet. App.
21a-22a).  On February 27, 1987, Justice O'Connor extended the time
for filing a petition for a writ of certiorari to and including May 7,
1987, and the petition was filed on May 6, 1987.  The petition for a
writ of certiorari was granted on October 5, 1987.  The jurisdiction
of this Court is invoked under 28 U.S.C. 1254(1).

                     STATUTORY PROVISIONS INVOLVED

   1. Section 205(g) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 405(g),
provides:

         Judicial review.

         Any individual, after any final decision of the Secretary
      made after a hearing to which he was a party, irrespective of
      the amount in controversy, may obtain a review of such decision
      by a civil action commenced within sixty days after the mailing
      to him of notice of such decision or within such further time as
      the Secretary may allow.  Such action shall be brought in the
      district court of the United States for the judicial district in
      which the plaintiff resides, or has his principal place of
      business, or, if he does not reside or have his principal place
      of business within any such judicial district, in the United
      States District Court for the District of Columbia.  As part of
      his answer the Secretary shall file a certified copy of the
      transcript of the record including the evidence upon which the
      findings and decision complained of are based.  The court shall
      have power to enter, upon the pleadings and transcript of the
      record, a judgment affirming, modifying, or reversing the
      decision of the Secretary, with or without remanding the cause
      for a rehearing.  The findings of the Secretary as to any fact,
      if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive, and
      where a claim has been denied by the Secretary or a decision is
      rendered under subsection (b) of this section which is adverse
      to an individual who was a party to the hearing before the
      Secretary, because of failure of the claimant or such individual
      to submit proof in conformity with any regulation prescribed
      under subsection (a) of this section, the court shall review
      only the question of conformity with such regulations and the
      validity of such regulations.  The court may, on motion of the
      Secretary made for good cause shown before he files his answer,
      remand the case to the Secretary for further action by the
      Secretary, and it may at any time order additional evidence to
      be taken before the Secretary, but only upon a showing that
      there is new evidence which is material and that there is good
      cause for the failure to incorporate such evidence into the
      record in a prior proceeding;  and the Secretary shall, after
      the case is remanded, and after hearing such additional evidence
      if so ordered, modify or affirm his findings of fact or his
      decision, or both, and shall file with the court any such
      additional and modified findings of fact and decision, and a
      transcript of the additional record and testimony upon which his
      action in modifying or affirming was based.  Such additional or
      modified findings of fact and decision shall be reviewable only
      to the extent provided for review of the original findings of
      fact and decision.  The judgment of the court shall be final
      except that it shall be subject to review in the same manner as
      a judgment in other civil actions.  Any action instituted in
      accordance with this subsection shall survive notwithstanding
      any change in the person occupying the office of Secretary or
      any vacancy in such office.

   2. Section 205(h) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. (Supp. III)
405(h), provides:

         Finality of Secretary's decision.

         The findings and decision of the Secretary after a hearing
      shall be binding upon all individuals who were parties to such
      hearing.  No findings of fact or decision of the Secretary shall
      be reviewed by any person, tribunal, or governmental agency
      except as herein provided.  No action against the United States,
      the Secretary, or any officer or employee thereof shall be
      brought under sections 1331 or 1346 of title 28 to recover on
      any claim arising under this subchapter.

                          QUESTION PRESENTED

   Whether a Bivens remedy should be implied for alleged due process
violations in the denial of social security disability benefits.

                               STATEMENT

   This is a Bivens suit brought by three recipients of Social
Security disability benefits whose benefits were terminated pursuant
to disability reviews conducted by the Social Security Administration.
 The benefits of all three respondents were fully restored during
administrative review or on a subsequent application for new benefits.
 Respondents nonetheless seek personal damages from the former
Secretary of Health and Human Services and two other high-level
officials for alleged due process violations in the handling of their
claims.

               A. The Statutory and Regulatory Framework

   The Federal Government provides benefits to disabled persons under
two distinct programs administered by the Social Security
Administration (SSA).  Title II of the Social Security Act provides
for the payment of disability insurance benefits to persons who have
contributed to the program and who suffer from a mental or physical
disability.  42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 423.  Disability benefits are
also payable to indigent disabled persons under the Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) program established by Title XVI of the Act, 42
U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 1382(a).  See generally Bowen v. City of New
York, No. 84-1923 (June 2, 1986), slip op. 1-2.  Under both programs,
a person is considered disabled if, because of a physical or mental
impairment, he is unable to do his previous work or to "engage in any
* * * kind of substantial gainful work which exists in the national
economy." 42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 423(d)(2)(A), 1382c(a)(3)(B).

   The disability programs administered under Titles II and XVI "are
of a size and extent difficult to comprehend." Richardson v. Perales,
402 U.S. 389, 399 (1971).  "Approximately two million disability
claims were filed under these two titles in fiscal year 1983." Heckler
v. Day, 467 U.S. 104, 106 (1984).  In fiscal year 1987, an estimated
1.3 million new claimants sought benefits under Title II, and 1.49
million sought disability benefits under Title XVI.  It was further
estimated that approximately 7 million persons would be receiving
disability benefits under the two titles as of September 30, 1987.
See SSA 1987 Ann. Rep. to the Congress 29, 31 (1987).  The Secretary
of Health and Human Services has promulgated detailed regulations
governing the procedures for the adjudication of claims for benefits.
In addition, Congress has mandated continuing review of those persons
receiving benefits who are not permanently disabled to ensure their
continued eligibility.

                       1. Procedural Provisions

   "To facilitate the orderly and sympathetic administration of the
disability program(s) * * * the Secretary and Congress have
established an unusually protective * * * process for the review and
adjudication of disputed claims." Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. at 106.  If
it is determined at any stage of this process that the individual is
eligible for benefits (and if he has not been receiving benefits), he
is entitled to retroactive payments for the entire period of his
eligibility, up to 12 months prior to his initial application.  See
Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 339 (1976).

   a. Congress has directed that the determination whether an
individual is under a disability shall be made in the first instance
by a state agency, pursuant to regulations, guidelines, and
performance standards established by the Secretary through SSA.  42
U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 421(a), 1383b(a);  20 C.F.R. 404.1503, 416.903.
See Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 335;  Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. at
106.  The state agency renders an initial determination on the basis
of its consideration of an application submitted by a person seeking
benefits for the first time.  See Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at
337-338.

   b. If the state agency initially determines that a new applicant is
not disabled, the individual may request a de novo reconsideration by
the state agency.  20 C.F.R. 404.904, 404.907-404.921, 416.1404,
416.1407-416.1421.  Governing regulations provide -- and the claimant
is personally notified -- that the adverse initial determination
becomes "binding" if he does not request reconsideration within 60
days of his receipt of the adverse initial determination.  20 C.F.R.
404.904, 404.905, 404.909(a)(1), 416.1404, 416.1405, 416.1409(a).  /1/

   c. Under 42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 421(d), if an individual is
dissatisfied with the decision by the state agency after its initial
determination and reconsideration of the claim, he "shall be entitled
to a hearing thereon by the Secretary to the same extent as is
provided in (42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 405(b))." See also 42 U.S.C.
1383(c)(1);  20 C.F.R. 404.944-404.965, 416.1429-416.1465.  The Act
requires -- and the claimant is personally notified -- that the state
agency's decision becomes binding upon the claimant if he does not
request such a hearing within 60 days of his receipt of the state
agency's determination.  42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 405(b)(1);  42 U.S.C.
1383(c)(1);  20 C.F.R. 404.920, 404.921, 404.933(b), 416.1404(b)(3),
416.1405, 416.1420, 416-1421, 416.1433(b).

   The evidentiary hearing is conducted by an administrative law judge
(ALJ) within SSA's separate Office of Hearings and Appeals (20 C.F.R.
404.929, 416.1429, 422.201 et seq.).  The ALJ is directed to "look()
fully into the issues" (20 C.F.R. 404.944, 416.1444).  See Heckler v.
Campbell, 461 U.S. 458, 469 n.12 (1983).  Either the claimant or the
ALJ may develop new evidence or raise new issues that were not
presented to the state agency, and the claimant or his representative
has a right to make an oral or written statement regarding the facts
and applicable law.  20 C.F.R. 404.929, 404.944, 404.946, 404.949,
404.950, 416.1429, 416.1444, 416.1446, 416.1449, 416.1450.  In
rendering his decision, the ALJ must follow SSA's published
regulations and formal Social Security Rulings (20 C.F.R. 422.408),
but he is not bound by the Programs Operations Manual System and other
instructional material that SSA furnishes to the state agencies to
guide them in their preliminary evaluation of disability claims.  See
Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. 602, 607-608 (1984);  S. Rep. 98-466, 98th
Cong., 2d Sess. 18-19 (1984);  H.R. Rep. 98-618, 98th Cong., 2d Sess.
20-22 (1984).

   d. If the decision by the ALJ after a hearing under either Title II
or Title XVI is adverse to the claimant, he then may seek review by
the Appeals Council in SSA.  20 C.F.R. 404.967-404.983,
416.1467-416.1483.  Governing regulations provide -- and the claimant
is once again personally notified -- that the adverse ALJ's decision
becomes binding if the claimant does not seek Appeals Council review
within 60 days or such further period as the Secretary permits.  20
C.F.R. 404.955(a), 404.968(a)(1), 416.1455(a), 416.1468.

   e. The Appeals Council's denial of review or decision on the merits
constitutes the Secretary's "final decision" on the individual's claim
for benefits.  At that point, the Act and implementing regulations
provide for the claimant to seek judicial review in federal district
court, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 405(g).  See 42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III)
421(d), 1383(c)(3);  20 C.F.R. 404.900(a)(5), 404.981, 416.1400(a)(5),
416.1481, 422.210.  Section 405(g) requires that the claimant seek
such review "within sixty days after the mailing to him of notice of
(the final) decision or within such further time as the Secretary may
allow," and the notice of the Appeals Council's decision informs the
claimant of this requirement.  See 20 C.F.R. 404.982, 416.1482
(Secretary may extend time for filing for good cause shown).  If
judicial review is not sought within the time allowed, the Appeals
Council's decision (or the ALJ's decision, if the Appeals Council
denied review) is expressly made binding upon the claimant.  20 C.F.R.
404.981, 404.982, 416.1481, 416.1482.

   f. Although an adverse decision at any step of the administrative
process becomes binding upon the claimant if he does not seek further
review within the time allowed, the Secretary has provided by
regulation that such a decision may be reopened within 12 months of
the initial determination for any reason, within either two or four
years for good cause, and at any time if the decision was obtained by
fraud or similar fault.  20 C.F.R. 404.987-404.989, 416.1487-416.1489.
 However, the Secretary's denial of a request to reopen is not subject
to administrative or judicial review.  20 C.F.R. 404.903(l),
416.1403(a)(5).  See Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. 99, 108 (1977).

                    2. Continuing Disability Review

   An individual who is found to be disabled under either Title II or
Title XVI is entitled to benefits only for as long as he continues to
be disabled under the statutory definition of disability.  42 U.S.C.
(& Supp. III) 423(a)(1), 425, 1381a;  20 C.F.R. 404.1594, 404.1597,
416.994, 416.1331(b).  Prior to legislation enacted in 1980 (effective
January, 1982), however, "(a)dministrative procedures * * * provide(d)
that a disability beneficiary's continued eligibility for benefits be
reexamined only under a limited number of circumstances." H.R. Conf.
Rep. 96-944, 96th Cong., 2d Sess. 60 (1980).  The 1980 legislation
sought to ensure that only those qualified received payments by
amending Title II of the Social Security Act to require that, "except
* * * where a finding has been made that (a claimant's) disability is
permanent," "the case shall be reviewed * * * for purposes of
continuing eligibility, at least once every 3 years * * *." Pub. L.
No. 96-265, Section 311(a), 94 Stat. 460, codified at 42 U.S.C. (&
Supp. III) 421(i).  Notwithstanding the January 1, 1982, statutory
effective date of this continuing disability review (CDR) program (42
U.S.C. 421 note), the Secretary began the CDR process in March, 1981
(Pet. App. 2a;  H.R. Rep. 98-618, supra, at 10).  /2/

   a. When an individual's case is reviewed he bears the burden of
showing, "by means of 'medically acceptable clinical and laboratory
diagnostic techniques,'" that he continues to have a physical or
mental impairment of sufficient severity to satisfy the statutory
standard of disability.  Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 336 (1976)
(quoting 42 U.S.C. 423(d)(3)).  The individual is first notified by
the state that his case has been selected for review and is requested
to furnish information about his current medical condition and the
identity of his treating physician.  20 C.F.R. 404.1593, 416.993.  If
the state agency then makes a tentative determination that his
disability has ceased, the individual is given an advance written
notice and explanation and is informed that he has 10 days within
which to submit any additional information.  20 C.F.R.
404.1594-404.1595, 416.994.  After this 10-day period and the receipt
of any further evidence, the state agency makes its initial
determination.  See Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 337-338
(describing continuing eligibility investigation process as it existed
before the 1980 amendment).  Once the state has made an initial
determination that a recipient is no longer disabled, the process of
administrative and judicial review follows, with certain exceptions,
the same path as that for new claimants.

   b. The CDR process generated considerable controversy because of
the high number of state determinations that individuals had ceased to
be disabled and the high percentage of subsequent reversals of those
determinations.  "In the early stages of the continuing disability
investigation (CDI) review process," the Senate Finance Committee in
1982 found that, "while reviews have been focused on cases most likely
to be found ineligible, States have been terminating benefits in
approximately 45 percent of the cases reviewed.  Of those cases which
appeal, approximately 65 percent have benefits reinstated by an
administrative law judge." S. Rep. 97-648, 97th Cong., 2d Sess. 6
(1982).  /3/

   From the commencement of the CDR process in 1981, the Secretary had
assured compliance with Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254 (1970), in the
need-based Title XVI program by allowing an SSI recipient to elect to
continue to receive benefits from the date of the state agency's
determination that he no longer is disabled until the ALJ has rendered
his decision following a hearing.  20 C.F.R. 416.1336(b).  But in view
of the Court's decision in Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 349, that
the Due Process Clause does not require the Secretary to continue
non-need-based Title II payments until the individual has had an
opportunity for an ALJ hearing, no similar protection was provided to
Title II beneficiaries.  Rather, at the time the CDR process was
begun, Title II benefits were terminated effective two months after
the month in which the recipient ceased to be disabled, regardless of
the recipient's pursuit of administrative or judicial review.  42
U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 423(a).  See Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at
338;  H.R. Conf. Rep. 98-1039, 98th Cong., 2d Sess. 33 (1984).  Thus,
during the pendency of their administrative appeals, Title II
beneficiaries were without benefits.  /4/

   Concluding that "some emergency relief" was warranted (S. Rep.
97-648, supra, at 6), Congress enacted legislation, the Act of Jan.
12, 1983, Pub. L. No. 97-455, 96 Stat. 2497, making temporary
provision for Title II claimants to continue to receive benefits
following the state agency's termination decision, pending receipt of
the ALJ's decision, and subject to recoupment if the ALJ affirms the
state agency's determination.  Pub. L. No. 97-455, Section 2, 96 Stat.
2498, codified at 42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 423(g).  /5/ Congress also
provided that following the initial determination by the state that a
recipient is no longer disabled, the state must provide a face-to-face
hearing on any motion for reconsideration.  Section 4, 96 Stat.
2499-2500, codified at 42 U.S.C. 405(b)(2).  See 20 C.F.R. 404.917.

   At the same time, Congress eliminated the requirement that
beneficiaries with nonpermanent disabilities be reviewed every three
years, and instead provided that the Secretary should, after
consultation with the state agency and based on a number of factors,
determine the number of cases to be reviewed in each State.  Pub. L.
No. 97-455, Section 3, 96 Stat. 2499, codified at 42 U.S.C. 421(i)(2).
 Finally, Congress required that the Secretary file semiannual reports
to the appropriate congressional committees, including statistics on
the actual operation and results of the continuing disability review
process.  Section 6, 96 Stat. 2500-2501, codified at 42 U.S.C.
421(i)(3).

   c. Despite these amendments, the CDR process continued to generate
widespread controversy and litigation, primarily centered on the
so-called "medical improvement" issue.  That issue concerns the
evidentiary standards that the Secretary must utilize in determining
whether a person receiving disability benefits continues to be
disabled.  When the CDR process began in 1981, the Social Security Act
did not impose any special standards for continuing disability
reviews, and the claimant bore the burden of proving by medical
evidence that he met the statutory standard of eligibility when his
status was reviewed.  See Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 336
(1976).  The Secretary determined that the continuing eligibility
inquiry should focus on whether the claimant's current condition
satisfied applicable standards, rather than on whether his condition
had changed.  It was not the Secretary's position, however, that the
prior finding of disability was irrelevant, because it might well shed
light on the claimant's current condition.  SSR 81-6 (1981);  20
C.F.R. 404.1579, 404.1586, 404.1594, 416.994 (1981).

   Many claimants challenged the Secretary's approach, often in the
form of massive class actions that substantially disrupted the orderly
administration of the Social Security disability program.  See, e.g.,
Lopez v. Heckler, 725 F.2d 1489 (9th Cir. 1984), vacated and remanded,
469 U.S. 1082 (1984);  Kuehner v. Schweiker, 717 F.2d 813 (3d Cir.
1983), vacated and remanded, 469 U.S. 1082 (1984).  They typically
argued that if an individual was once found to be disabled he was
entitled to a presumption that he continued to be disabled when his
eligibility was subject to review, thereby effectively shifting to the
Secretary the burden of producing evidence that the individual no
longer was disabled.  A number of courts of appeals agreed and held
that the claimant should be afforded a presumption of continuing
disability.  /6/

   Citing the "pressing need to end the acrimonious litigation that
has engulfed this program" /7/ (130 Cong. Rec. S11454 (daily ed. Sept.
19, 1984) (remarks of Sen. Dole, Chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee)), Congress passed the Social Security Disability Benefits
Reform Act of 1984, Pub. L. No. 98-460, 98 Stat. 1794, which was
signed into law on October 9, 1984.  Section 2 of the Act, 98 Stat.
1794-1797, codified at 42 U.S.C. (Supp. III) 423(f), prescribed
detailed standards for the termination of disability benefits that are
somewhere in between those standards applied by the Secretary and
those applied by some courts.  See H.R. Conf. Rep. 98-1039, supra, at
26.  /8/ Congress also made specific provision "to resolve the
existing controversy over the medical improvement issue in the courts"
(id. at 27) by prohibiting the certification of new classes on the
issue and by mandating a remand of pending actions to the Secretary
for reconsideration under the new standards.  Pub. L. No. 98-460,
Section 2(d), 98 Stat. 1797-1798.  See Heckler v. Lopez, 469 U.S. 1082
(1984);  Kuehner v. Schweiker, 469 U.S. 977 (1984).

   Congress made a number of other adjustments to the CDR program in
the same Act.  Among other actions, /9/ Congress extended the interim
benefits authorization under Title II until January 1, 1988.  Pub. L.
No. 98-460, Section 7(a)(2), 98 Stat. 1803, codified at 42 U.S.C.
(Supp. III) 423(g).  It also required the Secretary to establish
demonstration projects in at least five states, pursuant to which the
Secretary gives Title II and Title XVI recipients subject to a
continuing disability review the opportunity for a personal appearance
prior to the initial determination of ineligibility, rather than
afterwards.  Section 6(d), 98 Stat. 1802, codified at 42 U.S.C. (Supp.
III) 421 note.  Thus, a recipient in the states covered by the
demonstration project is enabled to argue his claim in advance of the
initial determination, where the state agency has reached a
preliminary conclusion adverse to the claimant.  Congress has directed
the Secretary to file a report concerning these projects.  Ibid.

                    B. The Proceedings in This Case

   1. Respondents are three individuals /10/ who were recipients of
disability benefits under Title II.  They filed suit against Richard
Schweiker, John Svahn, and William R. Sims in their official and
individual capacities.  /11/ Richard Schweiker is the former Secretary
of Health and Human Services;  John Svahn is the former Commissioner
of Social Security;  and William R. Sims is the present director of
the Arizona Disability Determination Service (Arizona DDS).  /12/ Pet.
App. 2a, 15a-16a.

   Respondents were subject to "continuing disability review" (CDR),
and had their benefits terminated pursuant to the CDR process.  Their
benefits, however, were ultimately reinstated through the
administrative appeals process or on a subsequent application for new
benefits.  See Pet. App. 5a.  Respondent Dora Adelerte began receiving
disability benefits in May, 1973.  An initial determination was made
by the Arizona DDS in June, 1981 that her disability had ceased, and
her benefits were terminated on the last day of July, 1981.  An ALJ
decision following a hearing restored her benefits and awarded
retroactive benefits in August, 1982.  Spencer Harris began receiving
disability benefits in July, 1980.  An initial determination was made
that his disability had ceased in January, 1982 and his benefits were
terminated in March.  An ALJ decision reinstated his benefits in
October, 1982 and retroactive benefits were paid in January, 1983.
Respondent James Chilicky began receiving benefits in October, 1977.
His benefits were terminated in November, 1981.  Chilicky did not seek
ALJ review of the termination decision which therefore became binding
upon him.  Instead he filed a new application for disability benefits
in June, 1983 and was awarded benefits retroactive to July, 1982.
/13/

   In their complaint, respondents claimed that petitioners had
violated their due process rights by, inter alia, accelerating the
starting date of the CDR process;  illegally nonacquiescing in the law
of the Ninth Circuit regarding "medical improvement";  failing to
apply uniform written standards in implementing the CDR process;
failing to render decisions consistent with allegedly dispositive
evidence;  and using an impermissible quota system under which state
agencies were required to terminate a certain number of recipients.
Pet. App. 2a-3a;  see also pp. 21-22 n.15, infra.  Respondents sought
injunctive and declaratory relief, and money damages for "emotional
distress and for loss of food, shelter and other necessities
proximately caused by (petitioners') denial of benefits without due
process" (Pet. App. 3a n.2).

   2. The district court dismissed the case in its entirety on
qualified immunity grounds (Pet. App. 15a-18a).  It concluded that the
government's policy of accelerated review and alleged nonacquiescence
violated no clearly established statutory or constitutional rights
and, thus, that Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800 (1982), barred
respondents' damage claims with respect to these policies (Pet. App.
16a-18a).  The district court did not discuss respondents' other
claims, but apparently determined that they were barred by qualified
immunity as well (see id. at 16a, 18a).

   3. Respondents appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed in part, reversed in part, and
remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings (Pet.
App. 1a-14a).  On appeal, the only issues raised by respondents
pertained to their Bivens /14/ claims for money damages against
petitioners in their individual capacities (see Resp. C.A. Br. ii).

   Petitioners contended that there was no subject matter jurisdiction
to entertain respondents' claims, since the procedures set forth in 42
U.S.C. 405(g) are the exclusive means of redress for actions "arising
under" the relevant provisions of the Social Security Act.  See 42
U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 405(h).  They also pointed out that the existence
of the Act's elaborate procedures for resolving disability claims
counsels strongly against judicial implication of a damages remedy,
and that there could be no colorable claim of denial of due process
when respondents were afforded the protections of Section 405(g).
Petitioners further contended that the district court lacked personal
jurisdiction over them and that, in any event, respondents' claims
were barred by qualified immunity.

   The court of appeals found that the district court had subject
matter jurisdiction (Pet. App. 4a-6a).  It reasoned that the action
was not for restoration of disability benefits, but rather for damages
stemming from alleged constitutional violations committed in
terminating those benefits, so that it did not "arise under" the
Social Security Act and was not barred by Section 405(h) (Pet. App.
6a).  The court then ruled that the officials waived their personal
jurisdiction defense by not raising it at the appropriate stage in the
district court proceedings (id. at 7a-9a).  Finally, the court of
appeals affirmed the district court's dismissal on qualified immunity
grounds of respondents' acceleration of review and nonacquiescence
claims (id. at 11a-13a), but reversed the district court's dismissal
on qualified immunity grounds of the balance of respondents' claims
/15/ and remanded for further proceedings (id. at 13a-14a).  The court
of appeals concluded that under the current record it could not
determine that respondents could prove no state of facts establishing
an actionable due process violation for the latter claims (id. at
14a).

   The court of appeals denied petitioners' petition for rehearing
with a suggestion of rehearing en banc, which was limited to the
question of subject matter jurisdiction (Pet. App. 21a-22a).

                          SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT

   The issue presented in this case is whether a disability claimant
may bring a Bivens action to challenge alleged violations of his
constitutional rights occurring in the course of proceedings leading
to the termination of his disability benefits.  In its decisions, this
Court has recognized that three distinct but not mutually exclusive
lines of reasoning may render such an implied cause of action
inappropriate.  First, Congress may expressly preclude such a remedy,
by declaring that other remedies of its own creation are exclusive.
Second, Congress may implicitly preclude a constitutional remedy by
cresting its own remedy, equally effective in the eyes of Congress, or
by otherwise occupying the field with a comprehensive legislative
scheme.  Third, even apart from any express or implied decision by
Congress, there may exist special factors counselling hesitation in
the recognition of a constitutional remedy, because of the
identifiable consequences such a remedy would have.  All three of
these lines of reasoning indicate that a Bivens remedy should not be
recognized in this case.

   1. Section 405(h) of Title 42, United States Code, should be taken
as an express declaration by Congress that a Bivens remedy is
precluded in this context.  The second sentence of Section 405(h)
states that the Secretary's findings of fact and decisions shall not
be reviewed "except as herein provided," and Section 405(g) provides
the exclusive avenue of review under the Act with specified forms of
relief.  Because a Bivens action seeking damages from an individual
for alleged constitutional violations is not provided under Section
405(g), it is foreclosed by the explicit terms of Section 405(h).

   Furthermore, the third sentence of Section 405(h) provides, inter
alia, that no action "arising under" the Title II disability
provisions shall be brought against an employee of the United States
pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1331, which is the essential jurisdictional
predicate for a Bivens action.  The present action, seeking relief for
alleged constitutional wrongs occurring in the course of the
administrative process leading to the temporary termination of
respondents' benefits, plainly "arises under" the Title II provisions.
 This conclusion is not altered by either the constitutional nature of
respondents' claims or by the fact that the relief they seek is not
provided by the statute.  Otherwise the bar to Section 1331
jurisdiction would exist only where it is redundant because a Section
405(g) remedy was already available.  Because respondents' claims
"arise under" the statute, and because Section 1331 is the essential
jurisdictional predicate for a Bivens action, the third sentence of
Section 405(h) expressly bars that avenue of relief.

   2. By the creation and refinement of an elaborate, multi-step
system of remedies for persons claiming entitlement to disability
benefits, Congress has occupied the field and implicitly foreclosed
the recognition of additional judicial remedies.  Like the Civil
Service Reform Act at issue in Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. 367 (1983), the
Social Security Act and its statutory review procedures are the
product of a carefully considered step-by-step fine-tuning by
Congress.  In fact, Congress twice modified the Continuing Disability
Review (CDR) process in which each of respondents was involved, first
in 1983 and again in 1984, after consideration of the very concerns
raised by respondents here.

   The four-step review process provided by statute is designed to
assure that no beneficiary loses benefits as a result of arbitrary
decision-making.  It has been liberally construed by this Court in
various ways, and while the statute does not allow the full measure of
damages that would be available under Bivens, it is in several
respects, including speed and the absence of an immunity defense, more
favorable to claimants than an implied constitutional remedy would be.
 As in Bush v. Lucas, Congress's statutory remedial scheme under the
Social Security Act is both comprehensive and provides meaningful
relief for the alleged constitutional wrongs related to the
termination of benefits.  Accordingly, it should be viewed as barring
implication of an additional constitutional remedy.

   3. Finally, the sheer size of Social Security Act programs, and
particularly the Title II disability program at issue here, is a
special factor counselling hesitation in the implication of such a
judicial remedy.  The millions of claims processed by the Social
Security Administration mean that a remedy recognized here would bring
major additional burdens to the courts and to the government officials
who would be named as defendants and would participate in the defense
of these cases.  Given the already enormous commitment of resources to
these programs and the serious governmental concern to control the
future expansion of costs, the implication of such a further remedy
could have seriously disruptive consequences.

                               ARGUMENT

 A DISABILITY CLAIMANT CHALLENGING THE TERMINATION OF HIS BENEFITS
MUST FOLLOW THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND JUDICIAL REVIEW PROCEDURES
PRESCRIBED BY CONGRESS AND MAY NOT ALSO SEEK DAMAGES UNDER AN IMPLIED
CONSTITUTIONAL CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
TERMINATION

                            A. Introduction

   1. Although the Constitution establishes rights, it does not in
general specify the remedy for violations of those rights.  Congress
and the courts, therefore, must prescribe remedies for constitutional
violations.  It is, however, axiomatic that unless the Constitution
itself requires a particular form of relief, a federal court cannot
provide a remedy unless it is authorized to do so explicitly or
implicitly by statute.  See, e.g., Sheldon v. Still, 49 U.S. (8 How.)
441, 448-449 (1850);  United States v. Hudson & Goodwin, 11 U.S. (7
Cranch) 32, 33 (1812);  Ex parte Bollman, 8 U.S. (4 Cranch) 75, 94
(1807) (Marshall, C.J.) ("the power to award the writ (of habeas
corpus) by any of the courts of the United States, must be given by
written law").

   In Bivens v. Six Unknown Fed. Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388
(1971), this Court allowed a plaintiff to seek damages from federal
officials for an alleged violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.
The Court specifically noted that it was not holding that the
Constitution itself required the creation of the remedy (id. at 396),
and Congress had not explicitly authorized such relief.  But the Court
noted that Congress had granted federal district courts general
jurisdiction (28 U.S.C. 1331) to entertain claims arising under the
Constitution, see 403 U.S. at 396, quoting Bell v. Hood, 327 U.S. 678,
684 (1946);  403 U.S. at 405 (Harlan, J., concurring in the judgment),
and that Congress itself had not prescribed a more specific remedy for
Fourth Amendment violations, see 403 U.S. at 390, 397.  Since Congress
had created courts with jurisdiction over the claims, but had not
established a specific remedy, the Court in Bivens concluded that
federal courts were free to implement the remedies, including damages,
that courts "(h)istorically" and "normally" have provided.  See 403
U.S. at 395, 397;  see also id. at 405, 408 n.8 (Harlan, J.,
concurring in the judgment);  Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. v.
Northwestern Pub. Serv. Co., 341 U.S. 246, 261 (1951) (Frankfurter,
J., dissenting) ("Courts, unlike administrative agencies, are organs
with historic antecedents which bring with them well-defined powers.
They do not require explicit statutory authorization for familiar
remedies * * *.").

   In two subsequent cases, the Court followed the Bivens reasoning in
recognizing an implied damage remedy under the Constitution.  Davis v.
Passman, 442 U.S. 228 (1979), recognized a plaintiff's claim that she
had been discharged from her position as a congressional employee
because of her sex, in violation of the Fifth Amendment.  442 U.S. at
241-242, 245.  In Davis, unlike Bivens, there was a relevant statutory
remedial scheme -- Section 717 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42
U.S.C. 2000e-16, which provides a remedy for most acts of employment
discrimination by the federal government.  But the Court noted that
Section 717 did not address the remedial question at issue in Davis
itself because congressional employees are excluded from the coverage
of Section 717 (see 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16(a), and, the Court ruled,
Congress did not intend this exclusion to leave congressional
employees remediless by precluding them from invoking other remedies
for unconstitutional employment discrimination.  See 442 U.S. at 247.
The Court accordingly held that the plaintiff retained "the judicial
remedies * * * (she) might otherwise possess" (ibid.).

   In Carlson v. Green, 446 U.S. 14 (1980), the plaintiff was the
survivor of a prisoner who allegedly died as a result of Eighth
Amendment violations in the form of failure to give proper medical
care.  The plaintiff could have brought suit under the Federal Tort
Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. 1346(b) and 2671 et seq., for the wrongs
asserted in the complaint.  But the Court concluded, principally on
the basis of the "crystal clear" legislative history of the 1974 FTCA
amendment allowing FTCA actions based on intentional torts of law
enforcement officers, that "Congress * * * contemplate(d) that victims
of the kind of intentional wrongdoing alleged in (the) complaint shall
have an action under (the) FTCA against the United States as well as a
Bivens action against the individual officers alleged to have
infringed their constitutional rights" (446 U.S. at 20).  See also id.
at 19 n.5 ("Congress * * * view(ed the FTCA remedy) as fully adequate
only in combination with the Bivens remedy.").

   In Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. 367 (1983), a similar inquiry into the
apparent intent of Congress and the consequences of recognizing an
implied constitutional remedy led the Court to reject the implied
remedy.  The plaintiff asked this Court to authorize a Bivens remedy
for federal employees whose First Amendment rights are allegedly
violated by their employers.  The Court noted that Congress had "not
resolved the question presented by this case by expressly denying
petitioner the judicial remedy he seeks or by providing him with an
equally effective substitute" (422 U.S. at 378).  It assumed that the
"civil service remedies were not as effective as an individual damages
remedy and did not fully compensate (plaintiff) for the harm he
suffered" (462 U.S. at 372 (footnotes omitted)).  The Court
nonetheless held that, in light of the comprehensive procedural and
substantive provisions of the civil service laws governing the
employment relationship between the government and its employees,
which the Court emphasized had "been constructed step by step, with
careful attention to conflicting policy considerations" (id. at 382),
it would be inappropriate to create a new Bivens remedy.  Id. at
388-390;  see also id. at 390-392 (Marshall, J., concurring).

   2. In each of the cases leading up to Bush, the Court ensured
before allowing a damages remedy that Congress had neither expressly
foreclosed an implied constitutional remedy, nor legislated in a
manner so as to occupy the field and therefore preclude an implied
judicial remedy.  In Bush, the Court recognized that, where Congress
has occupied the field, with a "comprehensive scheme" that provides
"meaningful remedies" for alleged constitutional violations (462 U.S.
at 386), it is inappropriate for courts to fashion such a remedy even
without an express congressional statement to that effect.  The Court
has also noted that additional "special factors counselling
hesitation" may preclude a Bivens remedy even "in the absence of
affirmative action by Congress." Bivens, 403 U.S. at 396;  see, e.g.,
Chappell v. Wallace, 462 U.S. 296, 298 (1983).

   Bivens and its progeny thus establish three distinct but not
mutually exclusive lines of reasoning that may, in a given case, lead
to the conclusion that an implied constitutional remedy would be
inappropriate.  First, Congress may have "expressly precluded the
creation of such a remedy by declaring that existing statutes provide
the exclusive mode of redress." Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. at 373;  see
Carlson v. Green, 446 U.S. at 19;  Davis v. Passman, 442 U.S. at 247;
Bivens, 403 U.S. at 397.  Second, Congress may have impliedly
precluded the creation of such a remedy either by creating "another
remedy, equally effective in the view of Congress," Bivens, 403 U.S.
at 397;  see Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. at 388;  Carlson v. Green, 446
U.S. at 19;  Davis v. Passman, 442 U.S. at 248, or by occupying the
field with a "comprehensive scheme" that provides remedies that are
"meaningful" even though "not as effective as an individual damages
remedy." Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. at 372, 386.  And, third, there may
be other "special factors" that "counsel() hesitation" even "in the
absence of affirmative action by Congress." Bivens, 403 U.S. at 396;
see Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. at 377;  Chappell v. Wallace, 462 U.S. at
298;  Carlson v. Green, 446 U.S. at 18;  Davis v. Passman, 442 U.S. at
245.  /16/

   We submit that each of these lines of reasoning makes clear that
creation of a Bivens remedy is inappropriate here.  Congress has
expressly precluded judicial creation of a constitutional damage
remedy by providing that the statutory remedies are the exclusive mode
of redress for a wrongful termination or denial of benefits.
Additionally, Congress has completely occupied the field of Social
Security disability benefits with a carefully drawn, comprehensive set
of procedures that provides meaningful remedies for any constitutional
violations that might occur in the processing of claims for benefits.
Finally, there are additional special factors arising out of the sheer
size of the Social Security system that counsel great hesitation in
the judicial implication of a Bivens remedy.

 B. Congress Has Expressly Declared That The Social Security Act
Provides The Exclusive Mode Of Redress For A Wrongful Termination of
Disability Benefits

   This Court has not yet had occasion to consider in any detail what
constitutes an "express" congressional declaration that a Bivens
remedy should not be implied in any particular context.  But the Court
has stressed that no "magic words" are required to effect such a
result.  Carlson v. Green, 446 U.S. at 19 n.5.  Congress need not
exclude or even mention a constitutional damage action by name.  The
question is rather whether Congress has declared that the remedies it
has provided constitute the exclusive mode of redress for the alleged
wrong.  That is precisely what Congress has done here, and deference
to that legislative judgment is required by "the Court's longstanding
recognition that Congress is ultimately the appropriate body to create
federal remedies." Id. at 27 (Powell, J., concurring in the judgment).
 Section 405(h) of Title 42, /17/ in two distinct ways, expressly
deprives the courts of federal-question jurisdiction over claims
"arising under" the Social Security Act and at the same time provides
that the only remedies available for such claims are those offered
pursuant to the administrative and judicial review process set forth
in Section 405(g).  /18/

   1. The second sentence of Section 405(h) provides that "(n)o
findings of fact or decision of the Secretary shall be reviewed by any
person, tribunal, or governmental agency except as herein provided."
This language precludes review except as provided in the Social
Security Act, and Section 405(g) is the only mechanism in the Act for
the review of findings of fact or decisions of the Secretary.  Thus,
judicial review of administrative decisions on claims for social
security benefits is unavailable except as expressly authorized by
Section 405(g).  See Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. 99, 110 (1977)
(Stewart, J., concurring in the judgment);  S. Rep. 734, 76th Cong.,
1st Sess. 52 (1939);  H.R. Rep. 728, 76th Cong., 1st Sess. 43-44
(1939).  Because the full remedy available from administrative or
judicial review under Section 405(g) is the retroactive payment of
disability benefits wrongfully terminated, it follows that Congress
has expressly precluded any further remedy -- such as damages -- for
an allegedly wrongful decision of the Secretary to terminate benefits.

   Respondents may contend that this language constitutes only an
exhaustion of administrative remedies requirement that does not apply
to them since they are not in this instance seeking any remedy
provided to them by the statute.  /19/ That reading, however, mistakes
the plain terms of the second sentence, which categorically bar
review, other than under Section 405(g), of all findings of fact or
other decisions of the Secretary concerning benefit awards.  Thus,
Justice Stewart was quite correct, concurring in the judgment in
Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. at 110, in seeing "no reason in this
case why the second sentence of Section (4)05(h) should not be read to
mean exactly what it says -- that the decision before us is reviewable
under Section (4)05(g) or not at all." Because respondents seek to
invoke remedies beyond those provided by the statute, to challenge
alleged constitutional violations leading to the temporary termination
of their benefits, their actions are precluded.  /20/

   2. The third sentence of Section 405(h) provides that "(n)o action
against the United States, the Secretary, or any officer or employee
thereof shall be brought under Sections 1331 or 1346 of Title 28 to
recover on any claims arising under this subchapter." While the second
sentence of Section 405(h) requires all challenges to the findings or
decision of the Secretary to be brought under Section 405(g), the
third sentence precludes suit and deprives the court of jurisdiction
under 28 U.S.C. 1331 "on any claim arising under" the social security
disability program.  /21/ "That the third sentence of Section 405(h)
is more than a codified requirement of administrative exhaustion is
plain from its own language, which is sweeping and direct and which
states that no action shall be brought under Section 1331, not merely
that only those actions shall be brought in which administrative
remedies have been exhausted." Weinberger v. Salfi, 422 U.S. at 757
(emphasis in original). 4 The court of appeals' holding that the
district court properly entertained this action under 28 U.S.C. 1331
directly contravenes this jurisdictional bar.  Weinberger v. Salfi,
422 U.S. at 757.  The disability benefits statute "provides both the
standing and the substantive basis for (respondents') constitutional
contentions." Id. at 760-761;  see Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. 602,
615 (1984).  This Bivens suit is exclusively concerned with the
Secretary's administration of that statute and with rights created
under it.  More specifically, respondents complain of improprieties
that allegedly occurred in the course of the administrative process
related to their benefit claims.  It follows that general federal
question jurisdiction will not support the suit, and that respondents'
Bivens action must fail because Congress has explicitly restricted
them to those remedies provided in the statute.  /22/

   Respondents might argue that, because they are alleging
constitutional violations in the procedures employed by the Secretary,
their claims do not "arise under" the Social Security Act, but rather
directly under the Constitution.  That precise argument, however, has
been squarely rejected by this Court.  In Weinberger v. Salfi, 422
U.S. at 760-761, the Court held that the jurisdictional preclusion in
Section 405(h) cannot be avoided simply because the plaintiff casts
his allegations in constitutional terms.  The Court adhered to that
view in Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. at 601 & n.7, 614-616, 622,
holding that a constitutional challenge to the procedures utilized in
the adjudication of claims "arises under" the Social Security Act for
purposes of Section 405(h).  See also Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S.
319, 327, 330 (1976) (recognizing that federal-question jurisdiction
is barred by 42 U.S.C. 405(h) even in a case where claimant is raising
a constitutional challenge to the administrative procedures used to
terminate welfare benefits that is "entirely collateral to his
substantive claim of entitlement").

   Alternatively, respondents might contend, as they did in their
brief in opposition (at 19-20) and as did the court of appeals (Pet.
App. 6a), that their claims did not "arise under" the Social Security
Act because they are not seeking benefits provided by the Act.  Rather
they are seeking damages over and above any restoration of benefits.
In Weinberger v. Salfi, Mathews v. Eldridge, and Heckler v. Ringer,
the litigant's ultimate goal was the receipt of benefits.  That is not
true here where full benefits have already been restored.  Because
respondents are seeking a form of relief not provided by the statute,
they argue that their claims do not "arise under" the statute.

   Respondents are surely correct that the relief they seek is not
provided by the Social Security Act, but they draw exactly the wrong
conclusion from that premise.  Sections 405(g) and (h) would serve
little purpose if, while creating an exclusive statutory remedy for
review of benefits decisions, they were also read to allow
non-statutory remedies under Section 1331 on the ground that such
remedies are not permitted under the Act.  Plainly, challenges to the
way in which specific benefits decisions are made to arise under the
statute and, thus, may not be brought pursuant to the general federal
question provision, 28 U.S.C. 1331, regardless of the relief sought.

   In Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. at 624, this Court explicitly
rejected the suggestion that a "claim somehow changes and 'arises
under' another statute" simply because the relief sought is not
available under Section 405(g).  The relief requested does not alter
the nature of respondents' claims (that their benefits were terminated
unconstitutionally), and this Court's precedents -- Heckler v. Ringer;
 Mathews v. Eldridge -- indicate that all such claims "arise under"
the Social Security Act and, thus, cannot be brought under Section
1331.  The scope of the preclusion in Section 405(h) is not limited by
the scope of relief allowed under Section 405(g).  Section 405(h)
serves rather to limit claimants to Section 405(g) whatever the relief
therein provided.  Respondents claims cannot therefore be
"characterized in a different way for purposes of Section 1331
jurisdiction" (Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. at 624) simply because they
seek a form of relief that Congress has not provided in Section
405(g).  Those claims "arise under" the Act within the meaning of
Section 405(h), thereby precluding Section 1331 jurisdiction, despite
the fact that the relief sought is not permitted by the Act.

   Congress plainly did not contemplate bifurcated proceedings in
which a claimant proceeds both under Section 405(g) to restore his
benefits as well as under 28 U.S.C. 1331 for damages stemming from the
termination.  Both claims "arise under" the Social Security Act and
thus the latter may not be brought under Section 1331 even though
precluded under Section 405(g).  /23/ The Section 405(g) remedy is
not, as respondents argue, an essential "predicate" for a subsequent
Bivens action (Br. in Opp. 6);  it is the exclusive remedy provided by
Congress for the harm in question.

 C. Congress Has Completely Occupied The Field Of Social Security
Disability Benefits With A Carefully Drawn, Comprehensive Set Of
Procedures That Provide Meaningful Remedies For Any Constitutional
Violations That Might Occur In The Processing Of Claims For Benefits

   In Bush v. Lucas, the Court assumed that the "civil service
remedies were not as effective as an individual damages remedy and did
not fully compensate (plaintiff) for the harm he suffered" (462 U.S.
at 372 (footnotes omitted)).  It concluded, however, that the proper
focus for analysis was not on "what remedy the court should provide
for a wrong that would otherwise go unredressed," but rather on
"whether an elaborate remedial system that has been constructed step
by step, with careful attention to conflicting policy considerations,
should be augmented by the creation of a new judicial remedy for the
constitutional violation at issue" (id. at 388).  The Court held that,
in light of the comprehensive procedural and substantive provisions of
the civil service laws governing the employment relationship between
the government and its employees, which the Court emphasized had been
carefully constructed by Congress over many years, it would be
inappropriate to recognize a new Bivens remedy.  Id. at 388-390;  see
also id. at 390-392 (Marshall, J., concurring).

   Like the civil service laws at issue in Bush, the Social Security
Act's statutory review procedures were the result of a carefully
considered, step-by-step fine-tuning by Congress.  See, e.g., Heckler
v. Day, 467 U.S. 104, 111-118 (1984).  They also provide meaningful
remedies for any wrongful denial or termination of benefits.  Indeed,
as this Court has noted, "the Secretary and Congress have established
an unusually protective four-step process for the review and
adjudication of disputed (Title II) claims" (id. at 106 (emphasis
added)).  "The Act and regulations * * * create an orderly
administrative mechanism, with district court review of the final
decision of the Secretary, to assist in the processing of the more
than 7,600,000 claims filed annually with the administration."
Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. 99, 102 (1977).

   1. The very problems at issue in this case, associated with the CDR
process, have been thoroughly considered and addressed by Congress.
See pp. 9-17, supra.  First in 1983 and again in 1984, Congress
responded to the problems created by the high percentage of disability
determinations subsequently reversed in the administrative process.
To deal with the financial and emotional harm suffered by
beneficiaries whose benefits were cut off while they pursued their
administrative remedies, Congress made temporary provision (later
extended to January 1, 1988) for claimants in Title II disability
cessation cases to elect to continue to receive benefits pending
receipt of the ALJ's decision.  See 42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III) 423(g).
See Act of Jan. 12, 1983, Pub. L. No. 97-455, Section 2, 96 Stat.
2498-2499, amended in 1984, Social Security Disability Benefits Reform
Act of 1984, Pub. L. No. 98-460, Section 7(a), 98 Stat. 1803.  /24/
Congress also tried to improve the quality of the state agency
decision-making process by providing for a face-to-face hearing on any
motion for reconsideration (42 U.S.C. 405(b)(2)), and by establishing
demonstration projects in five states pursuant to which Title II and
Title XVI recipients subject to continuing disability review have the
opportunity for a personal appearance prior to the initial
determination of ineligibility rather than afterwards (42 U.S.C.
(Supp. III) 421 note).

   A close look at respondents' allegations (see Pet. App. 13a-14a;
n.15, supra) shows that they embody the very concerns that have
occupied Congress in the formulation of recent amendments to the Act.
See H.R. Rep. 98-618, supra, at 6-22;  S. Rep. 98-466, supra, at 7-26.
 Respondents' allegations that the Secretary has made "(k)nowing use
of unpublished criteria and rules and standards contrary to the Social
Security Act," and has denied benefits based on "quotas" or "the type
of disabling impairments" are addressed in Congress's prescription of
detailed standards for the termination of benefits (42 U.S.C. (& Supp.
III) 423(f), 1382c) and in the requirement that the Secretary publish
uniform standards for disability terminations binding at both the
state and federal levels (42 U.S.C. (Supp. III) 421(k)(1)) as well as
standards for determining the frequency of the continuing disability
reviews (42 U.S.C. (Supp. III) 421 note).  Respondents' complaint that
they experienced "(u)nreasonable delays in receiving hearings after
termination of benefits," is precisely the question that this Court
noted in Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. at 112, has for the past decade
"inspired almost annual congressional debate," and to which the Court
declined to mandate its own solution "because of repeated
congressional rejection of the imposition of mandatory deadlines on
agency adjudication of disputed disability claims" (id. at 119).

   Finally, respondents' allegations of "intentional disregard of
dispositive favorable evidence," "purposeful selection of biased
physicians and staff to review claims," "failure to review impartially
adverse decisions," and "arbitrary reversal of favorable decisions"
are all directed at the fairness and accuracy of the review process
itself, the very process which, we note, restored respondents'
benefits in full.  This "orderly administrative mechanism" (Califano
v. Sanders, 430 U.S. at 102) is "unusually protective" of claimants'
rights (Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. at 106).  Furthermore, Congress
"closely monitor(s)" (H.R. Rep. 98-618, supra, at 22) the process
through regular reports that the Secretary is required to furnish on
various aspects of the continuing disability review program.  42
U.S.C. (Supp. III) 421 note.

   In Bush, the Court "decline(d) 'to create a new substantive legal
liability without legislative aid and as at the common law,' * * *
because (the Court was) convinced that Congress (was) in a better
position to decide whether or not the public interest would be served
by creating it" (462 U.S. at 390 (citation omitted)).  The exact same
caution must apply here.  Creation of a Bivens remedy "would be an
unwarranted judicial intrusion into this pervasively regulated area"
(Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. at 119), wholly disrupting the balance
struck by Congress between a concern for claimants and administrative
and budgetary constraints.  As in Bush, Congress has provided "an
elaborate remedial system that has been constructed step by step, with
careful attention to conflicting policy considerations" (Bush, 462
U.S. at 388), and that could only be impaired by recognition of
supplementary, piece-meal remedies.  See id. at 379-380, 388-389;
United States v. Standard Oil Co., 332 U.S. 301, 314 (1947).  "If the
balance is to be struck anew, the decision must come from Congress and
not from this Court." Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. 602, 627 (1984).
Indeed, Congress made perfectly clear when it passed the Disability
Benefits Reform Act of 1984 that it did not want judicial solutions to
the problems raised by the Social Security Act and that it was acting
both to replace and to forestall such solutions.  See H.R. Conf. Rep.
98-1039, supra, at 27;  S. Rep. 98-466, supra, at 7;  130 Cong. Rec.
S11454 (remarks of Sen. Dole).

   2. The administrative and judicial review process under Section
405(g) provides a fully adequate remedy for an erroneous denial of
benefits.  See Mathews v. Eldridge, supra.  /25/ The review process is
carefully designed "to insure that no beneficiary loses eligibility
for benefits as a result of careless or arbitrary decision-making by
the Federal government" (H.R. Rep. 98-618, supra, at 2).  Mistakes at
one level of review are corrected at the next level.  Id. at 6 (the
"multi-layered appeals system (is) an attempt to ensure as much
objectivity as possible in an inherently subjective decision").
Section 405(g) embraces all claims that might "arise under" Title II,
and litigants can thus raise due process and other constitutional
challenges to administrative action within Section 405(g).  Weinberger
v. Salfi;  Mathews v. Eldridge;  Heckler v. Ringer.  Moreover, 405(g)
has been broadly interpreted to permit class actions for injunctive
and declaratory relief.  Califano v. Yamasaki, 442 U.S. 682 (1979);
see also Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. 104 (1984) (suit for state-wide
injunctive relief cognizable under Section 405(g)).  Furthermore, the
Court has construed the "final decision" requirement in Section 405(g)
to permit an early resort to the courts on certain claims that are
collateral to the claim for benefits where risk of irreparable harm
exists.  Weinberger v. Salfi;  Mathews v. Eldridge.  Finally, the
Court has held that the 60-day suit-filing period in Section 405(g) is
subject to equitable tolling.  Bowen v. City of New York, No. 84-1923
(June 2, 1986).

   Section 405(g) admittedly does not allow damages for emotional
distress stemming from an unconstitutional termination of benefits.
/26/ But Section 405(g) has significant advantages over a Bivens
action, advantages similar to those of the civil service laws at issue
in Bush v. Lucas.  See 462 U.S. at 391 (Marshall, J., concurring).
First, although the claimant has the burden of proving disability, the
administrative appeals process is nonadversarial.  Mathews v.
Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 339;  Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 403
(1971).  Moreover, where the claimant is already a recipient of
benefits and is subject to continuing disability review under Section
421(i), there must in most cases be substantial evidence that the
recipient's condition has improved medically to justify a termination
of benefits.  See n.8, supra.  Second, as with civil service remedies,
the Social Security disability claimant is not required to overcome
the immunity of agency officials.  /27/ And, third, the administrative
action, without doubt, will prove consistently speedier and less
costly than a lawsuit.  /28/

   Just as in Bush v. Lucas, the comprehensive remedial scheme
established by Congress leaves neither need nor room for a Bivens
action.  In Bush, the plaintiff lost his job through allegedly
unconstitutional action by an agency official.  Here, respondents lost
their benefits through allegedly unconstitutional action by agency
officials.  If reinstatement with back pay is both a "clearly
constitutionally adequate" remedy (462 U.S. at 378 n.14) and
sufficiently "meaningful" to forestall a Bivens remedy (462 U.S. at
368) in the former context, then reinstatement with back benefits is
"clearly constitutionally adequate" and equally "meaningful" in the
latter context as well.

 D. The Sheer Size Of The Social Security System Is A Special Factor
That Counsels Against Judicial Creation of a Damages Remedy

   An additional special factor that counsels strongly against the
recognition of a Bivens remedy is the enormity of the Social Security
Act programs.  The SSA hearing system is "'probably the largest
adjudicative agency in the western world.'" Heckler v. Campbell, 461
U.S. 458, 461 n.2 (1983) (citation omitted).  See also Califano v.
Boles, 443 U.S. 282, 283 (1979) ("As an exercise in governmental
administration, the social security system is of unprecedented
dimension.");  Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389, 399 (1971) ("The
system's administrative structurel and procedures, with essential
determinations numbering into the millions, are of a size and extent
difficult to comprehend.").  In the disability arena alone, SSA
processes over two million claims each year.  See Heckler v. Day, 467
U.S. at 106.  In 1986, there were an estimated 77.5 million
beneficiaries of the various social security programs.  SSA 1986 Ann.
Rep. to the Congress 2.

   The size of these programs means that the potential and likely
impact of the court of appeals' decision both on the federal courts
and on the Social Security Administration would be intolerable.  This
is particularly so because a Bivens action, under the court of
appeals' decision, would not depend on whether the Secretary's final
decision is adverse to the claimant;  it could be based solely on an
initial adverse ruling.  Thus, a Bivens claim would be possible even
where -- as here -- the claimant otherwise has no basis for seeking
judicial review of the Secretary's final decision under Section 405(g)
because that decision is wholly favorable to the claimant.
Respondents' "due process" claim could be made by any claimant unhappy
with an adverse benefit decision at any level of the administrative
process.

   The creation of a Bivens remedy to supplement the Section 405(g)
remedy would substantially drain scarce agency resources.  The costs
of such suits would include "the expenses of litigation, the diversion
of official energy from pressing public issues, and the deterrence of
able citizens from acceptance of public office." Harlow v. Fitzgerald,
457 U.S. 800, 814 (1982).  A Bivens remedy would also hamper, through
its in terrorem effect on agency officials (see Bush v. Lucas, 462
U.S. at 389), Congress's legitimate efforts to ensure that only those
"verifiably unable to work" receive benefits (H.R. Rep. 98-618, supra,
at 6).

   Congress instituted the CDR program in 1980 "to deal with problems
which had driven the cost of the program beyond the bounds that
Congress had intended or found acceptable." S. Rep. 98-466, supra, at
6.  Congress was seeking to keep this cost within manageable limits,
and it continued to affirm the need to do so when it passed the
Disability Benefits Reform Act of 1984.  The Senate Finance Committee
noted that the 1984 Act was necessary because "(t)he transition from a
too loosely administered program with few post-entitlement reviews to
a more tightly administered program with regular periodic reviews
revealed weaknesses and ambiguities which need(ed) to be dealt with."
But, the Committee stressed, "(i)t is the purpose of the Committee
bill to deal with these problems while continuing the Congressional
insistence that this program be tightly and carefully administered."
S. Rep. 98-466, supra, at 6.  If agency personnel charged with
carrying out this congressional mandate risk ruinous personal
liability, any incdentive to enforce the eligibility criteria and keep
the system solvent will be sapped.  Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. at 389.
/29/

   "(T)he Government's interest, and hence that of the public, in
conserving scarce fiscal and administrative resources is a factor that
must be weighed" (Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 348) in deciding
whether a Bivens remedy is appropriate in any particular context.
Congress's continuous attempts to balance the need for fair procedures
with the need to keep the system solvent would be wholly disrupted, at
enormous cost, by judicial creation of a Bivens action against agency
officials.  The Social Security system, as Congress itself has warned,
simply will not bear such costs.  "Lest there be any doubt," the
Senate Finance Committee has stated, "the Committee does not intend an
open-ended commitment of taxpayer funds should either those who
administer the program at the State and Federal level or the courts
disregard the intent of the Committee in such a way as to cause the
costs of the program to grow out of control." S. Rep. 98-466, supra,
at 7.

                              CONCLUSION

   The decision of the court of appeals should be reversed.

   Respectfully submitted.

   CHARLES FRIED

      Solicitor General

   RICHARD K. WILLARD

      Assistant Attorney General

   DONALD B. AYER

      Deputy Solicitor General

   MICHAEL K. KELLOGG

      Assistant to the Solicitor General

   WILLIAM KANTER

   HOWARD S. SCHER

      Attorneys

   DECEMBER 1987

   /*/ In the original complaint there were, besides respondents,
seven other plaintiffs.  These seven, who did not pursue the appeal to
the Ninth Circuit, were Atanacio Alamanza, Arthur Flynn, Donald Bond,
Demitrio Hiquera, Joseph Tellez, Bonnie Bircher, and Connie Diaz.

   /1/ The Secretary has not provided for a separate state-agency
reconsideration stage in disability cessation cases under Title XVI.
An SSI recipient therefore may proceed directly to an ALJ hearing if
he requests one within 60 days of the initial determination.  20
C.F.R. 416.1407, 416.1415.

   /2/ Although the CDR program only applied directly to Title II
claimants, many persons were receiving benefits under both the Title
III insurance program and the Title XVI SSI program and, thus, were
subject to reviews that examined their eligibility under both
programs.

   /3/ The Senate Report provided some explanation for this high
reversal rate:  "This wide variation between the decisions made by
State agencies and ALJs, a long recognized problem, stems from a
number of factors.  For example, the beneficiary can introduce new
medical evidence at the ALJ hearing;  the ALJ hearing is the first
face-to-face contact between the reviewed beneficiary and a
decision-maker;  and the standards of disability used by State
agencies and ALJs differ in some important respects." S. Rep. at
97-648, supra, at 6.  See also id. at 21 (Additional Views of Sen.
Long):  "While this is a very high reversal rate, it is not strikingly
different from the administrative law judge reversal rate in prior
years, nor from the administrative law judge reversal rate of initial
claims.  * * * Most reversals are due to the application of easier
eligibility standards (by the ALJs)."

   /4/ As a general rule, however, an individual's disability was not
found to have "ceased" until the month in which the agency made the
"no disability" determination.  Thus, terminated recipients generally
enjoyed two months of continued benefits, whether or not they pursued
their administrative remedies.  See S. Rep. 97-648, supra, at 6 ("As
an administrative practice, individuals are now generally found to be
'not disabled' no earlier than (the) month in which the agency makes
the termination decision.").

   /5/ The temporary authorization (as briefly extended by the Act of
Oct. 11, 1983, Pub. L. No. 98-118, Section 2, 97 Stat. 803) applied to
any case in which the initial determination that the disability had
ceased was made on or after (or was pending on administrative review
on) the effective date of the Act (January 12, 1983), but before
December 7, 1983.  The Secretary was authorized to continue to pay
benefits in such cases through June 1984 or until the ALJ rendered his
decision, whichever occurred first.

   /6/ See, e.g., Rush v. Secretary of HHS, 738 F.2d 909, 915-916 (8th
Cir. 1984);  De Leon v. Secretary of HHS, 734 F.2d 930, 936-937 (2d
Cir. 1984);  Haynes v. Secretary of HHS, 734 F.2d 284, 288 (6th Cir.
1984);  Dotson v. Schweiker, 719 F.2d 80, 82 (4th Cir. 1983);  Patti
v. Schweiker, 669 F.2d 582, 586-587 (9th Cir. 1982).  But see Gist v.
Secretary of HHS, 736 F.2d 352, 355-357 (6th Cir. 1984);  Kuzmin v.
Schweiker, 714 F.2d 1233, 1237 (3d Cir. 1983).

   /7/ On June 7, 1983, the Secretary had suspended disability reviews
for certain types of cases involving mental impairments.  And on April
13, 1984, the Secretary had announced a nationwide, temporary
moratorium on CDRs.  H.R. Conf. Rep. 98-1039, supra, at 30-31.

   /8/ Under the new standards, a recipient of disability benefits
whose case is reviewed may be determined not to be entitled to
benefits on the basis of a finding that his impairment is not
disabling only if that finding is supported by:  (1) substantial
evidence that there has been medical improvement in the individual's
impairment and that he is now able to engage in substantial gainful
activity;  (2) new medical evidence and a new assessment of the
individual's residual functional capacity demonstrating that, although
his condition has not improved medically, he has undergone vocational
therapy or is the beneficiary of advances in medical or vocational
therapy or technology and is now able to engage in substantial gainful
activity;  (3) substantial evidence based on new or improved
diagnostic techniques demonstrating that the individual's impairment
is not as disabling as it previously was considered to be and that he
is now able to engage in substantial gainful activity;  or (4)
substantial evidence that the prior determination of disability was in
error.  Congress expressly provided, however, that there is no
presumption of continuing disability and that the determination
whether the person is currently disabled is to be made on a neutral
basis after considering all evidence available in the file.  42 U.S.C.
(Supp. III) 423(f), 1382c.

   /9/ Congress also required the Secretary to promulgate within 180
days final regulations establishing standards for determining the
frequency of CDR reviews, Pub. L. No. 98-460 Section 15, 98 Stat.
1808, 42 U.S.C. (Supp. III) 421 note, to publish revised mental
impairment criteria and to delay resumption of periodic review of most
mentally impaired individuals until the new standards were in place,
Section 5, 98 Stat. 1801, 42 U.S.C. (Supp. III) 421 note, and to
publish uniform standards for disability determinations that would be
binding at all levels of adjudication, Section 10, 98 Stat. 1805,
codified at 42 U.S.C. (Supp. III) 421(k)(1).

   /10/ Respondents withdrew their earlier motion for class
certification following passage of the 1984 Disability Reform Act (see
Pet. App. 4a, 15a).  In addition, as stated at page II note *, supra,
of the ten original plaintiffs only the three respondents pursued
their claim through the court of appeals.

   /11/ Both Schweiker and Svahn have long since resigned.
Respondents moved to substitute their successors, Margaret Heckler and
Martha McSteen, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(d).  The district court
found, however, that Heckler and McSteen were not personally served
and, thus, dismissed the claims against them in their individual
capacities (Pet. App. 2a-3a n.1, 16a).  By the time the case reached
the court of appeals, only claims against officials in their
individual capacities remained (id. at 4a), and consequently Heckler
and McSteen, who have also since resigned, are no longer in the case.

   /12/ The Arizona DDS is a state agency authorized by statute to
make initial disability determinations.  42 U.S.C. (& Supp. III)
421(a).  See p. 6, supra.

   /13/ In September, 1983, despite his earlier failure to pursue his
administrative remedies, Chilicky also sought reinstatement of his
terminated benefits for the period from December 1981 up to July,
1982, when benefits began under his new application.  Chilicky relied
upon the decision of the district court in Lopez v. Heckler, 572 F.
Supp. 26 (C.D. Cal. 1983), aff'd in part and rev'd in part, 725 F.2d
1489 (9th Cir.), vacated and remanded, 469 U.S. 1082 (1984), for a
waiver/tolling of the limitations period contained in the Act.  This
Court vacated Lopez and ordered the case remanded to the Secretary for
reconsideration in light of the Disability Benefits Reform Act of
11984, which required that any pending class actions by terminated
disability recipients "relating to medical improvement" be remanded to
the Secretary for reconsideration of the claims of class members.
This requirement applied even to unnamed class members who had not
exhausted their administrative remedies or satisfied the 60-day filing
requirement in 42 U.S.C. 405(g).  Pub. L. No. 98-460, Section 2(d)(3),
98 Stat. 1798.

   The district court in Lopez had certified a class of, inter alia,
all persons who reside in the states comprising the Ninth Circuit and
who had their disability benefits terminated after August 30, 1981.
See 725 F.2d at 1494.  That class was subsequently modified by the
court of appeals to eliminate claimants like Chilicky "whose benefits
were terminated before August 30, 1982, unless they then either were
in the process of appealing the termination or still had time
remaining for so doing" (725 F.2d at 1500 (footnote omitted)).
However, following this Court's remand, the district court entered an
order on December 17, 1984, reinstating the contours of the class as
originally certified.  Thus, Chilicky's application for reinstatement
of his terminated benefits may not constitute a timely application for
such relief.  The San Francisco Program Center, which covers the
jurisdiction where Mr. Chilicky now lives, is currently processing and
considering that application for retroactive payment of benefits for
the period from December 1981 to June 1982.

   /14/ See Bivens v. Six Unknown Fed. Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388
(1971).

   /15/ As described by the court of appeals (Pet. App. 13a-14a), the
remaining allegations are:

         1. Knowing use of unpublished criteria and rules and
      standards contrary to the Social Security Act.

         2. Intentional disregard of dispositive favorable evidence.

         3. Purposeful selection of biased physicians and staff to
      review claims.

         4. Imposition of quotas.

         5. Failure to review impartially adverse decisions.

         6. Arbitrary reversal of favorable decisions.

         7. Denial of benefits based on the type of disabling
      impairment.

         8. Unreasonable delays in receiving hearings after
      termination of benefits.

   /16/ The Court in Bush (462 U.S. at 378-390) brought "the
Government's comprehensive scheme" under the rubric of a "special
factor() counselling hesitation." It is clear, however, that
congressional occupation of the field is not the only "special factor"
that would "counsel() hesitation" in the creation of a damages remedy.
 See, e.g., Chappell v. Wallace, 462 U.S. at 298, 304 (citing "(t)he
special nature of military life" as such a factor).  Indeed, the Court
in Bivens, 403 U.S. at 396, stressed that the factors in question may
come into play even "in the absence of affirmative action by
Congress." After Bush, therefore, it may be best analytically to
separate congressional occupation of a field from other special
factors that would preclude an implied damages action even where
Congress has not established an alternative remedy.

   /17/ Section 405(h) provides:

         The findings and decision of the Secretary after a hearing
      shall be binding upon all individuals who were parties to such
      hearing.  No findings of fact or decision of the Secretary shall
      be reviewed by any person, tribunal, or governmental agency
      except as herein provided.  No action against the United States,
      the Secretary, or any officer or employee thereof shall be
      brought under Sections 1331 or 1346 of title 28 to recover on
      any claim arising under this subchapter.

   /18/ Section 405(h) applies by its own terms to all Title II
claimants.  Title XVI appears to incorporate the same preclusion of
general federal-question jurisdiction by providing that the
Secretary's final determinations "shall be subject to judicial review
as provided in section 405(g) of this title to the same extent as the
Secretary's final determinations under section 405 of this title." 42
U.S.C. 1383(c)(3).  The preclusive effect of Section 1383(c)(3) is not
at issue here, however, since all three respondents were receiving
benefits only under Title II.

   /19/ In Bowen v. Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, No. 85-225
(June 9, 1986), slip op. 12 n.8, the Court held that the second
sentence of Section 405(h) did not bar an action challenging a
regulation governing payouts under Part B of the Medicare program.  It
reasoned that the action, challenging a substantive regulation setting
benefit levels, did not concern a "decision" by "the Secretary after a
hearing," so that Section 405(h) was inapplicable.  We do not read
Michigan Academy as purporting to define the application of the second
sentence of Section 405(h) to actions, like the present one, arising
out of specific denials of benefits.

   In Michigan Academy, the Court cited its prior decision in
Weinberger v. Salfi, 422 U.S. 749, 757 (1975), for the proposition
that the purpose of the first two sentences of Section 405(h) was to
ensure administrative exhaustion.  In Salfi, the Court had confronted
a challenge to the duration of relationship requirement of the Social
Security Act, and ultimately concluded that the action could be
maintained under Section 405(g).  In relying on the third sentence of
Section 405(h) to conclude that the action could not be brought under
Section 1331, the Court reasoned that that sentence "would be
superfluous" if it were "nothing more than a requirement of
administrative exhaustion." "This is because the first two sentences
of Section 405(h) * * * assume that administrative exhaustion will be
required.  Specifically, they prevent review of decisions of the
Secretary save as provided in the Act, which provision is made in
Section 405(g)." 422 U.S. at 757 (citation omitted).

   While the Court in Salfi made clear that the second sentence of
Section 405(h) requires administrative exhaustion, it had no occasion
to address the further implications of that sentence as a possible bar
to actions not provided by the Social Security Act.  Indeed, the Court
found that the action before it was properly maintainable under
Section 405(g), and thus was explicitly authorized by the second
sentence of Section 405(h).  Salfi therefore lends little support to a
narrow construction of the second sentence of Section 405(h).

   /20/ Respondents clearly cannot avoid Section 405(h) by claiming
that they are not challenging a "decision" of the Secretary, but only
the procedures employed by the Secretary in reaching that decision.
That argument was considered and rejected by the Court in Mathews v.
Eldridge, 424 U.S. at 327, and Heckler v. Ringer, 466 U.S. 602, 614
(1984).

   /21/ By its terms, Section 405(h) only bars such actions when
brought "against the United States, the Secretary, or any officer or
employee thereof." One might argue, therefore, that it does not apply
to suits against state officials, such as petitioner Sims.  The court
of appeals correctly recognized, however, that in administering the
federally-funded disability program pursuant to detailed federal
regulations, "Sims was acting under color of federal law" for purposes
of Section 405(h).  Pet. App. 6a n.3.  "'To hold otherwise,'" the
court noted (ibid. (quoting Ellis v. Blum, 643 F.2d 68, 76 (2d Cir.
1981)), "'arguably would invite applicants for Title II benefits to
circumvent sections 405(g) and (h) by bringing suit under section 1331
against state officials instead of the Secretary * * *.'" See also
United States v. Erika, Inc., 456 U.S. 201, 205-206 n.4 (1982).

   /22/ In his dissenting opinion in Weinberger v. Salfi, Justice
Brennan noted (422 U.S. at 795) that "a claim 'arising under' Title II
is one which alleges that the Title grants someone certain rights."
That is surely the case here.  Respondents' constitutional claims
depend on the allegation that Title II grants them a property interest
in their benefits which cannot be deprived without due process of law.

   /23/ Congress could not have been any more explicit in making
Section 405(g) the exclusive mode of redress for a wrongful
termination of benefits.  Section 405(h) does everything but preclude
Bivens actions by name, which is something we could hardly expect
since it predates Bivens by almost 32 years.  Social Security
Amendments of 1939, ch. 666, Tit. II, Section 205(h), 53 Stat. 1371.
Nor was Congress obliged in 1971, in order to make its intention
clear, to amend its preclusion of Section 1331 jurisdiction by adding
"(and we mean Bivens claims too)" since it had already eliminated the
jurisdictional prop for such claims.

   /24/ As noted above, the Secretary had already afforded similar
protection to Title XVI SSI recipients in light of this Court's
decision in Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254 (1970).  See 20 C.F.R.
416.1336(b).

   /25/ See also Parratt v. Taylor, 451 U.S. 527, 537-544 (1981).  In
Parratt, this Court declined to find that plaintiff had established a
violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment where
the claimed deprivation occurred as the result of an unauthorized
failure of agents of the State to follow an established state
procedure.  The Court specifically noted (id. at 544) that the state
remedies may not have provided plaintiff with all of the relief which
he might have claimed in an action brought under 42 U.S.C. 1983.
Nevertheless, the Court ruled that "(t)he remedies provided could have
fully compensated the (plaintiff) for the property loss he suffered,
and we hold that they are sufficient to satisfy the requirements of
due process" (451 U.S. at 544).  See also id. at 555 n.1 (citations
omitted) (Marshall, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part)
("To be sure, the state remedies would not have afforded (plaintiff)
all the relief that would have been available in a Section 1983
action.  I nonetheless agree with the majority that "they are
sufficient to satisfy the requirements of due process.'");  Hudson v.
Palmer, 468 U.S. 517, 530-536 (1984).

   /26/ It is not clear, however, that such damages would be available
even in a Bivens action.  See Bush v. Lucas, 462 U.S. at 372 n.9.

   /27/ Officials involved in any decisionmaking process enjoy at
least qualified immunity.  Adjudicative officials are protected by
absolute immunity.  Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 807 (1982);
Butz v. Economou, 438 U.S. 478, 508-517 (1978).  Many of respondents
claims attacking the fairness and integrity of the disability review
process appear likely to encounter the latter defense.

   /28/ Although there are no deadlines for the various levels of the
administrative process (Heckler v. Day, 467 U.S. 104 (1984)), the
following average times apply to these steps in the administrative
process:  between appeal of initial adverse decision and
reconsideration decision -- approximately 80 days;  between appeal of
reconsideration and ALJ decision -- approximately 172 days;  between
appeal of ALJ decision and Appeals Council decision -- approximately
95 days.  SSA 1987 Ann. Rep. to Congress 14;  SSA Office of Hearings
and Appeals Key Workload Indicators 1, 9 (Aug. 1987).

   /29/ The relief sought in such suits would be wholly open-ended.
Respondents in this case valued their damages at "no less than
$10,000" against each petitioner (for a minimum of $30,000 per
respondent).  It is clear that the figure is simply an arbitrary one;
respondents could have sought $100,000 with equal plausibility.  If
even one such claim succeeded the agency official could be financially
destroyed.  Alternatively, SSA itself might, by indemnifying the
defendant, pick up the tab, thereby further imperilling the solvency
of an already shaky system.