The fight for equal treatment for all Americans continues as the Social Security Administration has filed an appeal to the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in hopes of overturning the District Court of Guam’s decision in the Katrina Schaller case.
Two months ago, District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco Gatewood ruled in favor of Katrina Schaller a Guam resident who was denied SSI benefits for her disability, simply because she resides in a US Territory.
The appeal, filed by SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul, requested that the case be dismissed was denied.
Gatewood, instead, granted Schaller’s motion for summary judgment — a decision which has also been granted in a similar case in Puerto Rico.
In her June 19th order, Gatewood stated: “Having considered all the grounds proffered by the United States, the court finds that there is no rational basis for excluding plaintiff from receiving SSI benefits based solely on her residency in Guam.”
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