Rosenthal v. Commissioner

63 T.C. 454, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 203
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJanuary 13, 1975
DocketDocket Nos. 3257-73, 3258-73, 3298-73, 3894-73
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 63 T.C. 454 (Rosenthal v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosenthal v. Commissioner, 63 T.C. 454, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 203 (tax 1975).

Opinion

Wiles, Judge:

Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioners’ income tax as follows:

Petitioners Docket No. Year Amount
Sheldon A. E. and Dorothy L. Rosenthal_ 3257-73 1969 $2,888.87
Jon R. and Linda Hillegas_ 3258-73 1969 1,925.54
William R. and Juanita F. McGregor_ 3298-73 1969 1,805.64
William R. and Juanita F. McGregor_ 3894-73 1970 1,788.92

The cases were consolidated for trial. The issue is whether petitioners may exclude from their gross incomes as fellowship or scholarship grants under section 1172 amounts received as residents in surgery at Wood Veterans Administration Hospital and Milwaukee County General Hospital.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some facts were stipulated and are found accordingly.

Sheldon A. E. Rosenthal (hereinafter petitioner) and Dorothy L. Rosenthal, husband and wife, were legal residents of Encino, Calif., when their petition was filed. Jon R. Hillegas (hereinafter petitioner) and Linda Hillegas, husband and wife, were legal residents of Phoenix, Ariz., when their petition was filed. William R. McGregor (hereinafter petitioner) and Juanita F. McGregor, husband and wife, were legal residents of Wauwatosa, Wis., when their petition was filed. Petitioners filed joint income tax returns for the years in question with the district director of internal revenue in Milwaukee, Wis.

During 1969 and 1970, each petitioner was a physician licensed to practice medicine in Wisconsin. Each petitioner was also a general surgical resident participating in the Marquette Affiliated Surgical Residency Program (hereinafter MASRP) at Milwaukee County General Hospital (hereinafter Milwaukee Hospital) and Wood Veterans Administration Hospital (hereinafter Veterans Hospital).

MASRP was, during 1969 and 1970, a 4-year surgical training program operated by the Marquette University Graduate School (hereinafter Marquette), in affiliation with Marquette Medical School and six major hospitals in the Milwaukee, Wis., area. Petitioner Rosenthal was a second-year surgical resident in MASRP from January 1969 through June 1969, and a third-year surgical resident from July 1969 through December 1969. Petitioner Hillegas was a second-year surgical resident from January 1969 through August 1969, and a third-year surgical resident from August 1969 through December 1969. Petitioner McGregor was a first-year surgical resident from January 1969 through June 1969, a second-year surgical resident from July 1969 through June 1970, and a third-year surgical resident from July 1970 through December 1970.

A MASRP appointment also enabled a resident to enter the master of science in surgery degree program of Marquette. Petitioner Rosenthal was a candidate for that degree from January 1, 1969, to May 31, 1969. Petitioner Hillegas was a candidate for that degree during all of 1969. Petitioner McGregor was a candidate for that degree during all of 1969 and 1970.

During 1969, petitioner Rosenthal received $2,122.64 from the County of Milwaukee and $6,283.81 from the United States Veterans Administration for participation in the surgical residency program at Milwaukee Hospital and Veterans Hospital, respectively.

During 1969, petitioner Hillegas received $6,259.35 from the County of Milwaukee and $2,027.70 from the United States Veterans Administration for participation in the surgical residency program at Milwaukee Hospital and Veterans Hospital, respectively.

During 1969, petitioner McGregor received $5,858.64 from the United States Veterans Administration for participation in the surgical residency program at Veterans Hospital. During 1970, petitioner McGregor received $5,527.20 from the County of Milwaukee and $1,103.97 from the United States Veterans Administration for participation in the surgical residency program at Milwaukee Hospital and Veterans Hospital, respectively.

During their general surgical residencies, petitioners were assigned to the affiliated hospitals under a standard rotation schedule. Both the rotation schedule and the residency program as a whole were controlled by the faculty of Marquette and the Marquette School of Medicine.

While on rotation at the affiliated hospitals, petitioners received payments from the particular hospital to which they were assigned at that time and were paid at a rate determined by that hospital. Petitioners and all MASRP residents received the same stipends, depending solely on level of progression through the residency program and the salary schedule of their then-assigned hospital. Individual need was accordingly not considered in determining the amount of payments made to each resident. The annual rate of payments made by Milwaukee Hospital to all residents, including petitioners, during the years in question was as follows:

Level of Resident
Year I II III IV
$7,254 CO © 4^ UO Ttf 00 && j-q GO Or co 05 CO
7,429 «O "to CO O CO co 00 CO O CO O CO -q O

Comparable payments by Veterans Hospital were as follows:

Level of Resident
Year I II III IV
$8,800 O O oT <=e-jX "to o o -&=> J-q '05 O o 05 CO 05 r-4
8,980 05 LO 05 00 cn 07 07 oo Vi CO o O t— 05 t-H

Not all MASRP surgical residents were candidates for the master of science in surgery degree. However, no distinction in payments was made by participating hospitals between degree candidates and those who were not.

Either or both hospitals provided petitioners and other MASRP residents, without cost, with medical insurance, malpractice insurance, paid sick leave, paid annual vacation, a $25 annual uniform allowance, free meals when working extended hours, and, under certain circumstances, reimbursement for travel expenses incurred for medical conventions.

The Marquette School of Medicine faculty constituted a majority of the medical staff of Veterans Hospital and all of the medical staff of the Milwaukee Hospital during 1969 and 1970. Patient care at both hospitals was done by teams of medical students, interns, and residents under the direction of attending physicians. Each team was responsible for a given number of patients, but ultimate medical responsibility for such patients lay with the attending physicians. Residents and other team members thus performed medical and surgical services under the supervision and control of attending physicians. Each team member participated in evaluation, care, and treatment of team patients, with increasing responsibility being assigned for each year of resident training. Residents, interns, and medical students were assigned night duty at the hospitals to care fór team patients and provide emergency room surgical services. When assigned to a surgical service, surgical residents spent approximately every third night on call at the hospital.

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Bluebook (online)
63 T.C. 454, 1975 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosenthal-v-commissioner-tax-1975.