Taylor v. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare

362 F. Supp. 952, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13175
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJune 14, 1973
DocketCiv. A. KC-3470
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 362 F. Supp. 952 (Taylor v. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taylor v. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, 362 F. Supp. 952, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13175 (D. Kan. 1973).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

O’CONNOR, District Judge.

This is a proceeding under Title II of the Social Security Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 401 et seq. Section 405(g) provides for judicial review of a “final decision” of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. The case is presently before the court on plaintiff’s motion to remand, and the defendants’ motion for summary judgment.

Plaintiff first filed his application to establish a period of disability, as pro *953 vided in § 416(i), and to obtain disability insurance benefits, as provided in § 423. On April 30, 1971, at plaintiff’s request, a hearing was held, at which plaintiff and his attorney appeared. On June 30, 1971, the hearing examiner rendered a decision unfavorable to plaintiff. He found that plaintiff was not under a “disability,” as defined in the Social Security Act, at any time when he met the, earnings requirement of the law. On November 23, 1971, after receipt of evidence in addition to that which was before the hearing examiner, the Appeals Council of the Social Security Administration affirmed the decision of the hearing examiner. Thus, the decision of the hearing examiner stands as the final decision of the Secretary.

The facts are not essentially in dispute. Plaintiff’s application, filed January 30, 1968, states that he was born June 13, 1925, and that he became unable to work in May, 1943, at the age of 17, by reason of a mental impairment.

Plaintiff served in the United States Navy from May 5, 1943, to August 12, 1943. He testified that on entering the service he was examined and found to be in excellent physical and mental condition. He claimed that his mental condition began to deteriorate after suffering a head injury while in the Navy. He felt that perhaps his subsequent mental illness was attributable to this injury.

In describing his mental condition after his discharge from the Navy, plaintiff testified that there were periods when he was lucid and periods when he had no memory of what had occurred. He alleged that in this period he also suffered severe head pains, aphasia, nausea, blackout spells, paranoia, and delusions and/or hallucinations. He stated that in 1944 or 1945 he began to believe that he was a supreme being and that God worked through him. He also stated that at this time he often had an uncontrollable urge to run, which resulted in his running until he collapsed.

Plaintiff testified that he felt he began to “come out of this mental thing” in the middle or late 1960’s. He said that he believed his mental condition had improved to the extent that he was able to perform work by January, 1968.

He also claimed numerous hospitalizations and operations for brain concussions, bone fractures, and chronic kidney disease.

The record contains many allegations by plaintiff regarding his mental condition. These allegations are based on reports by examining and treating physicians, which he claimed to have in his possession but which are not in the record.

The medical evidence of record begins with a report dated July 26, 1943, from the United States Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida. Plaintiff’s medical history revealed that he had suffered a concussion 3 months prior to his enlistment, resulting in three weeks of hospitalization for memory defects, dizziness, and headaches. On admission to the Naval Hospital on July 12, 1943, plaintiff stated that he had experienced a similar episode in 1941. Plaintiff was admitted to the hospital with complaints of headaches and aphasia. Neurological and physical examinations of plaintiff were essentially negative, as were laboratory tests. Memory tests showed that plaintiff had a considerable memory defect, both for recent and remote events; however, no evidence of psychosis was noted. Plaintiff’s condition was finally diagnosed as “intracranial injury.” The report concluded with the following statement:

“This patient is considered unfit for service because of his disability. He is not a menace to himself or to others and will not become a public charge as he has a home to which he will go.”

In an undated, unsigned statement allegedly containing excerpts from Navy medical records, the following pertinent entries are made:

“5/5/43. No evidence of disease, mental defects, etc.
MENTAL STATUS: He has some confusion of thought processes at times, has been becoming increasingly irritable for several months, and has definite memory defects. Suffers *954 from attacks of dizziness, headaches of varying intensity and duration. Is suffering from Aphasia brought on in all probability by Intracranial Injury, Memory defects of both recent and remote events.
7/22/43. At Staff Conference this date it was the consensus of opinion that this patient is suffering from the effects of the concussion which he received in 1941 and which was aggravated by a similar injury in 1943.
The admission diagnosis of Intracranial Injury is concurred in by the N. P. Staff.”

A report dated August 23, 1956, by Paul R. Miller, M.D., staff psychiatrist at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (Medical Center), Springfield, Missouri, stated that plaintiff underwent a neuropsychiatric examination upon admission to the Medical Center in 1956. According to the report plaintiff stated that although he had been examined previously by psychiatrists, he had never been hospitalized in a mental hospital. His condition was diagnosed as:

“Schizophrenic reaction, chronic, undifferentiated type with many pseudo-neurotic symptoms, chiefly those of autistic thought, paranoid trends, flatness of affect [sic], defect of interpersonal relations, and uncontrolled antisocial and homicidal traits.”

The report further noted that plaintiff’s memory showed no gross defect for recent or remote events. The psychiatrist concluded the report by stating:

“Although the patient is psychotic in a medical sense, there is doubt in the present examiner’s mind whether he could be represented to the court as legally insane. No specific form of therapy is indicated at this time. Job should be consistent with his above average ability, probably of a clerical nature.”

A report dated May 2, 1962, by John Dickinson, M.D., staff psychiatrist at the Medical Center, revealed that plaintiff underwent a neuropsychiatric examination sometime after his readmission to the Medical Center in 1961. At that time plaintiff was again diagnosed as schizophrenic.

Subsequent reports from the Medical Center indicated that as time passed plaintiff’s mental condition improved. A. parole progress report dated January, 1963, reported that plaintiff was a “partially recovered chronic undifferentiated schizophrenic who is not presently suitable for release or transfer.” An annual parole review dated June 17, 1964, noted: “He [plaintiff] does not manifest acute symptoms at present.” A parole review dated May, 1965, stated that plaintiff was examined by Dr. H. Modlin, a psychiatric consultant from the Menninger Foundation, on April 27, 1965.

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462 F. Supp. 240 (N.D. Illinois, 1978)
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425 F. Supp. 474 (D. Maryland, 1976)
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403 F. Supp. 938 (E.D. Wisconsin, 1975)
Hutchinson v. Weinberger
399 F. Supp. 426 (E.D. Michigan, 1975)
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383 F. Supp. 1223 (D. Kansas, 1974)
Bean v. Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare
374 F. Supp. 336 (D. Kansas, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
362 F. Supp. 952, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-secretary-of-health-education-and-welfare-ksd-1973.