explaining judges should give some review to every report and recommendation
How later courts described this case
- explaining judges should give some review to every report and recommendation
- noting that “post-hoc rationalizations” will not support agency actions
Written by the judges who cited it.
The opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA
SUSAN PELLICANO, :
SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO
MICHAEL PELLICANO,' :
Plaintiff : CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:17-698
V. : (JUDGE MANNION)
THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL :
MANAGEMENT, INSURANCE
OPERATIONS, HEALTH :
INSURANCE Il,
Defendant
MEMORANDUM
Pending before the court is the report of United States Magistrate
Judge Martin C. Carlson, which recommends that the defendant’s motion for
summary judgment (Doc. 110) be denied and the plaintiff's motion for
summary judgment (Doc. 120) be granted. (Doc. 125). The defendant has
filed objections to the report (Doc. 129-130), and the plaintiff has filed a
responsive brief (Doc. 134). Upon review of the record, Judge Carlson's
' By order dated July 17, 2025, Susan Pellicano was substituted as a
party-plaintiff in this case after the unfortunate passing of her husband,
Michael Pellicano, on March 1, 2025. (Doc. 124).
report and recommendation will be adopted in its entirety as the opinion
court.
When objections are timely filed to the report and recommendation of
a magistrate judge, the district court must review de novo those portions of
the report to which objections are made. 28 U.S.C. §636(b)(1); Brown v.
Astrue, 649 F.3d 193, 195 (3d Cir. 2011). Although the standard is de novo,
the extent of review is committed to the sound discretion of the district judge,
and the court may rely on the recommendations of the magistrate judge to
the extent it deems proper. Rieder v. Apfel, 115 F.Supp.2d 496, 499 (M.D.Pa.
2000) (citing United States v. Raddatz, 447 U.S. 667, 676 (1980)).
For those sections of the report and recommendation to which no
objection is made, the court should, as a matter of good practice, “satisfy
itself that there is no clear error on the face of the record in order to accept
the recommendation.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b), advisory committee notes; see
also Univac Dental Co. v. Dentsply Intern., Inc., 702 F.Supp.2d 465, 469
(M.D.Pa. 2010) (citing Henderson v. Carlson, 812 F.2d 874, 878 (3d Cir.
1987) (explaining judges should give some review to every report and
recommendation)). Nevertheless, whether timely objections are made or not,
the district court may accept, not accept, or modify, in whole or in part, the
-2-
findings or recommendations made by the magistrate juage. 28 U.S.C.
§636(b)(1); Local Rule 72.31.
This case, which consumed many of Mr. Pellicano’s last living days
and which has occupied the docket of this court for the better part of a
decade, centers around one remaining issue — the failure of the defendant
to provide Mr. Pellicano, a disabled quadriplegic, coverage for a replacement
shower commode chair.”
2 Judge Carlson has provided a fitting condemnation of the injustice
suffered by Mr. Pellicano at the hands of health care bureaucracy in this
case:
These longstanding disputes provide a sobering glimpse
into the vagaries of our modern health care bureaucracy. Thus,
the defendant has refused for years to recognize the medical
necessity of a shower chair for this severely impaired
quadriplegic despite a treating source consensus that such
equipment is called for given the severity of Pellicano’s
permanent disability, extensive treatment records supporting that
opinion, and the fact that such equipment had previously been
deemed both medically necessary and covered by Pellicano’s
prior insurance. Moreover, Pellicano’s case illustrates how a
bureaucratic decision, once made, becomes immutable. Indeed,
it is telling that this litigation has actvally outlived Mr. Pellicano,
who passed away still trying to obtain some measure of
satisfaction from his health insurer over the seemingly
straightforward issue of obtaining a shower chair that would
facilitate performing essential bodily functions.
(Doc. 125, pp. 2-3).
-3-
Mr. Pellicano was a retired federal employee, who suffered a disabling
spinal cord injury in 2002, which rendered him a quadriplegic. At the time of
the claims presented in this case, he was enrolled in the National Association
of Letter Carriers (“NALC”) Health Benefit Plan under the Federal Employees
Health Benefits Act (“FEHBA”), 5 U.S.C. §8901, et seq. After his accident
and as a result thereof, Mr. Pellicano filed various claims seeking coverage
for durable medical equipment (“DME”) and supplies to accommodate his
disability. Some of those claims were granted, some were denied.
On April 19, 2017, Mr. Pellicano filed this action seeking judicial review
of five of the administrative decisions by the Office of Personnel
Management (“OPM”) denying him coverage. Two claims, Claim Nos.
15205005 and Y15126013, concerned coverage for the cost of a supply of
Enemeez-brand “mini-enema’” products. The third claim, Claim No.
Y15035005, concerned coverage for parts and repair of a functional
electrical stimulator (“FES”) cycle ergometer. The final two claims, Claim
Nos. Y15099009 and Y16063002, concerned coverage determinations with
respect to a shower commode chair - the first was for parts for Mr. Pellicano’s
existing chair and the second was for pre-authorization for a new chair to
replace his previously approved chair which had worn after almost fifteen
years of use.
-4-
In response to the plaintiffs complaint, OPM filed motions seeking to
dismiss three of the claims and to remand the action as to the others in order
to further develop the administrative record for judicial review. After
considering OPM’s motions, the court dismissed the two claims concerning
the cost of the Enemeez-brand “mini enema” products as being untimely.
The other three claims were remanded for further administrative
proceedings. On remand, OPM held to its earlier decisions and again denied
Mr. Pellicano’s claims relating to the FES cycle ergometer and the shower
commode chair.*
When the matter returned to this court, the parties filed cross motions
for summary judgment as to the remaining three claims. Upon review of the
motions, the magistrate judge filed a report recommending that the
defendant’s motion for summary judgment be granted and the plaintiff's be
denied. Considering the deferential standard of review on_ these
3 In the meantime, in 2018, while the three claims were on remand to
OPM, Mr. Pellicano purchased the replacement shower commode chair on
his own and submitted charges in the amount of $4,375.00 for
reimbursement. See OPM Claim No. Y19261007. Mr. Pellicano’s claim for
reimbursement was denied initially and upon appeal. (Doc. 101, pp. 28-29).
Although Mr. Pellicano did not amend his complaint to challenge this claim
denial, given his pro se status, the court considers the reimbursement claim
to be part and parcel of his claim for authorization of the replacement shower
commode chair.
-5-
administrative claims, the court adopted the report and recommendation and
granted summary judgment in favor of the defendant.
Mr. Pellicano filed an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for
the Third Circuit. In doing so, he challenged only this court’s ruling as to OPM
Claim No. Y16063002, the pre-authorization request for the replacement
shower commode chair. In considering the plaintiff's appeal, the Third Circuit
affirmed in part and vacated in part. The Third Circuit vacated the court’s
grant of summary judgment to OPM on Claim No. Y16063002 relating to the
pre-authorization claim for the shower commode chair and remanded the
action for further proceedings as to that claim, including the possibility of yet
another remand to OPM. The court’s order awarding summary judgment to
OPM on the other claims was otherwise affirmed. See Pellicano v. Office of
Personnel Management, 2022 WL 621692 (Mar. 3, 2022).
As discussed by Judge Carlson, the Third Circuit set forth the positions
of the parties as follows:
According to Pellicano, his Shower Commode Chair is an
utterly necessary piece of specialized medical equipment that
permits him to complete a complex and lengthy daily bowel ritual
with the assistance of a caregiver. He notes that a previous
* As a result of his spinal cord injury, Mr. Pellicano suffered from
neurogenic bowels. In order to avoid serious health complications, including
impaction from failing to void his bowels, he was required to be on a bowel
program. Mr. Pellicano and his wife, as his caregiver, were trained by his
(footnote continued on next page)
-6-
insurer approved reimbursement for his original purchase of
such a device in 2003. In 2014, Pellicano applied to NALC for
reimbursement of replacement parts for his chair. NALC
approved partial reimbursement. In 2015, he sought pre-
authorization for the purchase of a new chair. NALC denied the
request, determining that the chair was “not a covered item per
our Durable Medical Equipment benefits in our Health Benefit
Plan brochure.” ° 3d Cir. ECF No. 21-14 at 79. When Pellicano
appealed the decision to OPM, NALC argued that the chair was
not medically necessary, was a personal convenience item, and
was not a covered DME under the Plan’s criteria in the brochure.
Id. at 87-88. OPM issued a letter upholding the decision. D. Ct.
ECF No. 1-1 at 15.
On appeal, the Third Circuit was less than accepting of the reasoning
provided by OPM for denying coverage of the shower commode chair for Mr.
Pellicano. First, the court discussed the fact that when Mr. Pellicano applied
treating physicians on the administration of the program. This program
required Mrs. Pellicano to use a patient lift in order to transfer Mr. Pellicano
into a shower commode chair. The chair was a tilt-in-space padded high back
shower commode chair with lateral supports at the trunk and hips, adjustable
arm troughs, adjustable foot rest with calf supports, and straps and wheels.
After placing Mr. Pellicano in the chair, his wife was required to digitally
stimulate his rectum, after which she would administer a suppository. Mr.
Pellicano would then have to be digitally stimulated one or two more times in
order to complete the bowel program. Mr. Pellicano remained in the chair
afterwards so that Mrs. Pellicano could shower him in order to maintain
proper hygiene and avoid any infection. This program took approximately 1
to 1 1/2 hours per day to complete. (Doc. 38, pp. 16-17).
° The NALC plan brochure provides that DME is equipment and
supplies that are prescribed by your attending physician; are medically
necessary; are primarily and customarily used only for a medical purpose;
are generally useful only to a person with an illness or injury; are designed
for prolonged use; and serve a specific therapeutic purpose in the treatment
of an illness or injury. See 3d Cir. ECF No. 21-14 at 55.
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to NALC for reimbursement of replacement parts for his chair, NALC
approved partial reimbursement for the parts classifying the chair as DME.
However, the following year, when Mr. Pellicano sought pre-authorization for
the purchase of a new chair, NALC denied the request finding that the chair
was not covered DME. The Third Circuit provided:
[W]hen the District Court remanded this matter to the
agency in 2018, OPM asked NALC whether the two shower-
commode-chair claims [for the parts and for the replacement
chair] referred to the same type of durable medical equipment,
and if so, whether the disparate coverage decisions were correct.
NALC confirmed that they referred to the same items, and that,
despite the difference in result, they were correctly decided.
NALC explained that “[w]hen Mr. Pellicano requested a new
shower commode chair, rather than simply deny his request, we
decided, within our discretion under Section 2.2(b)(2) of our OPM
contract, and, as an act of good will for the patient, to provide
some level of coverage for the replacement part needed for his
existing chair, knowing we were not going to cover a new shower
commode chair under the terms of the brochure.” 3d Cir. ECF
No. 21-3 at 44 (emphasis added). Whatever may be made of this
explanation, it simply cannot be true that NALC authorized the
replacement parts “when Mr. Pellicano requested a new shower
commode chair.” As the Administrative Record before us
indicates, NALC paid its portion for chair replacement parts in
February 2015, see 3d Cir. ECF No. 21-4 at 4, well before
Pellicano had filed the request for a new chair in December 2015;
thus, the second decision could not have informed the first. See
Christ the King Manor, Inc. v. Sec’y U.S. Dep’t of Health &
Human Servs., 730 F.3d 291, 305 (3d Cir. 2013) (noting that
“post-hoc rationalizations” will not support agency actions).
Pellicano v. OPM, 2022 WL 621692, at *2 (3d Cir. Mar. 3, 2022).
-8-
The Third Circuit found that, after “OPM acknowledged that its [original]
letter decision did not satisfactorily explain why application of the Plan’s
provisions led to its decision to uphold NALC’s denial [of the claim for the
shower commode chair],” and requested a remand to develop the record, the
reasoning provided by OPM “simply cannot be true.” The Third Circuit found
that NALC and OPM “has held fast to what is, at best, a confusing
explanation which also appears to contradict what it said [previously]”.
Having found that OPM “offered insufficient reasons” for its decision, the
court of appeals found “this part of the agency decision cannot stand.”
Further, in denying Mr. Pellicano’s claim on the basis that the chair was
not a covered DME, the Third Circuit found that OPM “problematically” relied
upon advertisements on websites that covered devices such as “deep fryers,
sewing machines, and air purifiers,” as well as on websites that sold
occupational and physical therapy related medical devices, to explain Plan
brochure provisions. The Third Circuit observed that it was OPM, not NALC,
that first used the website advertisements to explain the terms of the Plan,
and that it did so without providing Mr. Pellicano any opportunity to examine
or rebut the information.
Finally, the Third Circuit provided that OPM, for the first time, produced
an Electronic Claims Manual (“ECM”), “an internal document used to inform
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claims analysts about Pian coverage for particular items,” which indicated
that the [shower commode chairs] are ineligible for coverage as DME. Here,
the Third Circuit stated:
We note that the agency provided a third ground for denial
of preauthorization in its October 25 letter: that the 2015 ECM
listed Shower Commode Chairs as ineligible for coverage as
DME. However, while the harmless-error doctrine provides that
we need not vacate an agency decision if the errors “have no
bearing on the substantive decision of an agency,” we cannot
conclude that the errors here were harmless. OPM's decision
mentioned the ECM in a single sentence, while it discussed the
other rationales at much greater length. It thus appears that the
errors did bear on OPM's decision, and we decline to deem them
harmless.
Pellicano v. OPM, 2022 WL 621692, at *4 (3d Cir. Mar. 3, 2022) (citations
omitted).
Considering all of the foregoing, as indicated, the Third Circuit vacated
the grant of summary judgment for the defendant and remanded the matter
for further proceedings, including another remand to OPM to justify its
decision to deny Mr. Pellicano coverage for the shower commode chair.
In accordance with the Third Circuit's directive, an order was issued by
this court remanding the case to OPM to conduct further proceedings and
provide a more thorough explanation as to why the claim for the shower
commode chair was denied. (Docs. 90, 95). Once those proceedings
concluded and the matter again returned to this court, renewed cross
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motions for summary judgment were filed. (Docs. 110, 120). The pending
report was then issued recommending that summary judgment be entered in
favor of the plaintiff and against the defendant. (Doc. 125).
The standard of review regarding the plaintiffs challenge to OPM’s
now third decision denying Mr. Pellicano’s shower commode chair has
previously been set forth by the court:
In this case, the plaintiff seeks judicial review of health
benefit denial decisions made by OPM under the FEHBA, a
federal law governing health benefits claims made by and for
federal employees and retirees. The implementing regulations
governing FEHBA health benefit plans provide for adjudication of
disputes between enrollees and health care benefit carriers by
OPM, 5C.F.R. §890.105, and permit aggrieved enrollees to bring
civil actions in federal court, but provide that OPM is the sole
defendant in these civil actions. /d. §890.107(c). Those
regulations further state that the scope of judicial review in such
action “will be limited to the record that was before OPM when it
rendered its decision affirming the carrier's denial of benefits,” id.
§890.107(d)(1), and that relief which may be afforded to a plaintiff
shall “be limited to a court order directing OPM to require the
carrier to pay the amount of benefits in dispute.” /d. §890.107(c).
Judicial review of OPM’s health benefit denial decisions
under the FEHBA is governed by the Administrative Procedure
Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. §701 et seg. Under the APA, this judicial
review is limited to determining whether the agency’s actions
were arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, or
otherwise not in accordance with law. See 5 U.S.C. §706(2)(A).
(Doc. 15, pp. 9-10). Additionally, the Third Circuit has found that “[a]lthough
the scope of our review is narrow and deferential, we must confirm that the
‘agency [considered] the relevant data and articulate[d] a satisfactory
-11-
explanation for its action including a rational connection between the facts
found and the choice made.” Pellicano v. OPM, 2022 WL 621692, at *2
(citations omitted).
In his report, Judge Carlson notes that “[djespite affording OPM the
opportunity to reconsider its decision, that agency elected to adhere to the
view that as to this profoundly handicapped individual: ‘A shower commode
chair would be for the personal comfort or convenience of the
patient/caregiver,’ and would not constitute a medical necessity.” (Doc. 125,
p. 5) (citations omitted). Considering OPM'’s decision in conjunction with the
administrative record, Judge Carlson finds that the decision to characterize
the shower commode chair as a mere convenience for Mr. Pellicano, a
quadriplegic, is arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion. This court
agrees.
6 It is unclear which position OPM wants to hang its hat on. The Third
Circuit noted in its decision:
Before [the first] remand, OPM apparently upheld the denial in part
because the chair was not medically necessary. D. Ct. ECF No. 1-1 at 15.
On remand, OPM apparently abandoned its position that the chair was not
medically necessary. See generally 3d Cir. ECF No. 21-3 at 120-22.
Pellicano v. OPM, 2022 WL 621692, at *3 (3d Cir. Mar. 3, 2022).
Now, after its second remand, OPM again upholds the denial of the
shower commode chair finding that it would not constitute a medical
necessity.
-12-
Judge Carlson encapsulates the relevant undisputed facts as follows:
In February of 2016, some ten years ago, Michael
Pellicano provided OPM with a cogent, concise explanation of
the medical necessity for a shower commode chair, stating that:
| am quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury (SCI) and
am totally dependent for all care. Do [sic] to my SCI and
diagnosis of neurogenic bowel (see Enemeeze LMN), Dr.
Lam of the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation determined (see
shower chair LMN) that | need to be transferred into this rehab
shower commode chair in order to perform medically
necessary daily bowel regimen. Dr. Lam instructed me that it
is imperative for my health to maintain this bowel regimen;
otherwise, serious complications can occur such as impaction
resulting in autonomic dysreflexia (sudden increased high
blood pressure). Impaction may also cause the bladder to
burst. This daily bowel regimen consists of a caregiver digitally
stimulating my rectum, after which a mini Enemeeze
suppository is administered. | then have to be digitally
stimulated 1 to 2 more times in order to complete the bowel
regimen, after which | am showered to maintain proper
hygiene. | must spend 1 to 1 1/2 hours in this chair daily in
order to perform this regimen; itis in no way a convenience.
My present rehab shower commode chair, which is 13
years old, is becoming unsafe and needs to be replaced.
(Id. at 58) (emphasis in original).
Mr. Pellicano’s request, in turn, was endorsed by his
treating physician, Dr. Mylan Lam, who explained that Pellicano:
[S]ustained a spinal cord injury which rendered him
quadriplegic and dependent for all care of daily living. A
shower commode chair is necessary for both management of
his daily bowel program and showering.
(Id. at 70, 75-76). Thus, Mr. Pellicano’s treating source, who had
the closest and most detailed understanding of the severity of his
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condition, opined that a shower commode chair was a medical
necessity for this severely disabled man.
Dr. Lam’s opinion, in turn, was supported by more than 400
pages of treatment notes submitted to OPM. (Id. at 78-772).
These physical therapy treatment notes spanned years and
graphically described the profound degree of impairment
suffered by Mr. Pellicano. According to these treatment records
Mr. Pellicano often required moderate to maximum assistance in
any physical transfers from one position to another. (Id. at 79, 83,
88, 91, 97, 101, 108, 112, 118, 122, 126, 130, 136, 141, 146,
149, 155, 534). His unaided dynamic short sitting balance, which
was essential for independent toileting, was consistently
described as poor. (Id. at 79, 83, 91, 97, 101, 108, 112, 118, 122,
126, 130, 136, 141, 146, 149, 155, 164, 215, 379, 400, 411, 425,
440, 454, 466, 478, 491, 503, 519). He was assessed as unable
to engage in static or dynamic sitting without assistance. (Id. at
159, 195, 204, 379). Moreover, he was deemed 100% disabled
in terms of his activities of daily living, including notably both
bathing and toileting functions that the shower commode chair
was designed to facilitate. (Id. at 160, 161, 166, 197, 207, 217,
225, 235, 533, 552). He was described a totally “dependent for
all self care and mobility.” (Id. at 553).
(Doc. 125, pp. 5-7).
In addition to the above medical opinions and treatment records
supporting Mr. Pellicano’s medical need for the shower commode chair,
Judge Carlson points out that the same device that Mr. Pellicano was being
denied coverage for as a “convenience” and “medically unnecessary” had
previously been deemed medically necessary and covered by his prior
insurer.
-14-
As discussed by Judge Carlson, in its latest decision, OPM has turned
a blind eye to all of the above and has again denied Mr. Pellicano coverage
for the shower commode chair now based upon the opinion of Dr. Katherine
Herzog, a non-treating, non-examining medical source. (Doc. 101, pp. 773-
81). Initially, Dr. Herzog determined that the claim should be denied based
on the terms of a 2015 Plan brochure without providing any explanation as
to why. In a subsequent opinion, Dr. Herzog stated that a “clinical evaluation
of a commode/shower chair should be performed with a focus on the
individual’s current bowel care routine and transfer ability, goals of the
individual and caregiver, and individual functionality, including postural
stability, reach and skin integrity.” Having stated this, in denying Mr.
Pellicano’s claim, the only evidence cited by Dr. Herzog actually supports the
medical necessity of the device for Mr. Pellicano. That evidence — that Mr.
Pellicano had poor static and dynamic sitting and required maximum
assistance with transfers — is precisely what the shower commode chair is
intended to assist with. Completely ignoring documentation in the
administrative record demonstrating that Mr. Pellicano had used the same
type of shower commode chair for approximately 15 years with no issues
and his doctor's opinion that it was a medical necessity for Mr. Pellicano to
have the shower commode chair, Dr. Herzog concluded that “documentation
-15-
does not [show] that the patient has the core strength to safely sit in a
commode/shower chair.” She therefore rendered the chair unnecessary.
This nonsensical reasoning then led to the conclusion that the shower
commode chair “would be for the personal comfort or convenience” of Mr.
Pellicano and was not “medically necessary.” This is the opinion OPM chose
to rely on in denying Mr. Pellicano the shower commode chair in
contravention of extensive documentation in the record which demonstrates
that the shower commode chair was a medical necessity for Mr. Pellicano.
Early on in this case, this court entered summary judgment in favor of
the defendant citing to the deferential standard of review in these types of
administrative cases. On appeal, the Third Circuit disagreed not with the
applicable standard, but with the expansive deference given to the defendant
in light of the record, and had specific and serious concerns regarding the
reasoning behind OPM’s denial of Mr. Pellicano’s claim. Over four years later
and, in this court’s opinion, those concerns have yet to be resolved. Instead,
as discussed by Judge Carlson and the Third Circuit before him, OPM has
“held fast to what is, at best, a confusing explanation” for its decision to deny
the claim in this case.
Despite the defendant’s objections to the contrary, in rendering this
latest decision, it appears that OPM ignored the vast majority of evidence in
-16 -
the administrative record that deemed the shower commode chair a medical
necessity for Mr. Pellicano in favor of the inconsistent and confusing opinion
of anon-examining, non-treating doctor. Apparently ignored was the training
of Mr. and Mrs. Pellicano by Mr. Pellicano’s treating physicians on this
specific type of shower commode chair, so that Mrs. Pellicano could assist
Mr. Pellicano in performing the basic bodily function of moving his bowels to
avoid serious medical complications and taking a shower to avoid infection.
Apparently ignored were the opinions of Mr. Pellicano’s treating doctors who
stated that the shower commode chair was a medical necessity to help avoid
the risk of impaction and all of the medical complications that could follow if
that occurred. Apparently ignored was the decision of Mr. Pellicano’s prior
insurer which conceded that the shower commode chair was, in fact, a
medical necessity for Mr. Pellicano and provided coverage for the original
shower commode chair. Apparently ignored were hundreds of pages of
physical therapy notes demonstrating that Mr. Pellicano was exactly the type
of patient that these chairs were designed to assist. All of this evidence was
apparently ignored in favor of the opinion of Dr. Herzog, who provided an
opinion which, as discussed above, makes no sense - it cites evidence
which supports the medical necessity of the shower commode chair for Mr.
Pellicano — and then recommends denial of coverage based on the
-17-
reasoning that the chair is a matter of convenience and not medical
necessity. OPM has been give three bites at the apple to provide a
consistent, rational explanation for its denial of coverage for the replacement
shower commode chair for Mr. Pellicano. After almost a decade, it has yet to
do so.
In light of the above, the court agrees with the report of Judge Carlson
which finds that, on the current record, the decision to characterize the
shower commode chair as a mere “convenience” for Mr. Pellicano, who was
a quadriplegic and unable to perform basic bodily functions unaided, is
arbitrary and capricious and an abuse of discretion. As such, the defendant's
motion for summary judgment will be denied and the plaintiff's motion for
summary judgment will be granted. The court will enter summary judgment
in favor of the plaintiff in the amount submitted by Mr. Pellicano for the
replacement shower commode chair he purchased and_ sought
reimbursement for in 2018. An appropriate order shall issue.
wif E. MANNION
United States District Judge
DATE: 5/3 20
17-698-02
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