Robert E. McCOWN (85-5471), Willie Robinson (85-5472), Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Defendant-Appellee

KRUPANSKY, Circuit Judge.

In this consolidated action, plaintiffs-appellants Robert E. McCown (“McCown”) and Willie Robinson (“Robinson”) appealed the judgments of the district court affirming the decisions of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“Secretary”). The Administrative Law Judges (“ALJ”), pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 424a of the Social Security Act, had offset the social security disability insurance benefits previously paid to the appellants by reducing those payments by an amount equal to federal black lung benefits concurrently received by each appellant. These reductions became…