Taylor v. United States

106 Fed. Cl. 443, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 846
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedJuly 20, 2012
DocketNo. 11-340C
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 106 Fed. Cl. 443 (Taylor v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taylor v. United States, 106 Fed. Cl. 443, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 846 (uscfc 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

CHRISTINE O.C. MILLER, Judge.

This case is before the court after argument on the parties’ cross-motions for judgment on the administrative record and supplemental briefing. Plaintiff, having been permanently retired for medical reasons with a 30% disability rating, contends that she deserves a 70% disability rating, contrary to the decision of a board for correction of military records, which, plaintiff argues, failed to apply properly the rating criteria of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

FACTS

I. Background

The facts contained herein are drawn from the administrative record. Melanie C. Taylor (“plaintiff”), formerly served as an officer in the United States Air Force (the “Air Force”). AR 8. Plaintiff enlisted in the Air Force as a Korean Linguist on September 27,1995, and on September 25,1998, she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Id. at 11. Plaintiff served on active duty for approximately eleven years before experiencing the emotional distress that served as the catalyst for the present suit. See id.

On July 26, 2006, following a self-reported suicide attempt, plaintiff underwent an Emergency Command Directed Evaluation. Id. at 45. During the evaluation, plaintiff was informed that she would be required to appear before a Medical Evaluation Board (“MEB”).1 Id. The MEB convened on Sep[446]*446tember 19, 2006, to consider plaintiffs case; and plaintiff was examined by Maj. Nino A. Vidic, medical director for the psychiatry section of the 377th Medical Group, on September 25, 2006. Id. at 43, 51. Acting as the MEB, Maj. Vidic prepared the summary report of his findings and provided his — and thus the MEB’s — recommendation. The MEB found that plaintiff was suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (“MDD”), Posh-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”), and Borderline Personality Disorder (“BPD”). See id. at 48-49. The combination of these disorders resulted in considerable to severe impairment for social and occupational adaptability. See id. Under each diagnosis Maj. Vidic recorded that there was “marked” impairment for further military duty, see id., and he concluded that “[t]he service member is currently unable to perform her duties due to her condition and hospitalization,” id. at 50.

Although noting that plaintiff was seeking therapy and had been “treatment compliant, ... attending] all her appointments, and [was] benefit[ting] from such therapy,” the MEB referred plaintiff to the Physical Evaluation Board (the “PEB”) for a final determination and disposition. Id. On October 11, 2006, plaintiff responded to this referral with a twenty-page rebuttal of the MEB’s summary. See Def.’s Br. filed Dec. 2, 2011, App. at 1-20. In her rebuttal plaintiff denied or minimized the incidents leading up to the MEB review and concluded that she believed the entire course of dealings that she had experienced “[were] all done as an act of reprisal by Maj[.] Vidic for the complaint [plaintiff] made about him to his Flight Com-mander_” Id. at 20.

On October 23, 2006, the Informal PEB (the “IPEB”) issued its report, largely agreeing with the MEB’s findings. AR 42. The IPEB, organizing its findings into categories based on ratability and compensability, found that plaintiff suffered from MDD, associated with PTSD, and that this resulted in considerable social and industrial impairment. Id. These conditions were compensable and ratable. Id. Although the IPEB also found that plaintiff suffered from BPD, this condition was neither ratable nor compensable. Id. Based on these findings, the IPEB recommended placing plaintiff on the Temporary Disabled Retirement List (the “TDRL”) with a 50% disability rating. Id. In the “Remarks” section of its findings — styled in the manner of addressing plaintiff directly — the IPEB stated:

Capt Taylor — Your medical condition prevents you from reasonably performing the duties of your office, grade, rank, or rating. The [IPEB] finds you unfit and recommends temporary retirement with a disability rating of 50% IAW [“In Accordance With”] Department of Defense and Veterans Administration Schedule for Rating Disabilities guidelines. The purpose of Temporary Retirement is for you to undergo ongoing medical care to see if you will improve and be able to return to active duty; failure to secure and comply with medical treatment would be viewed unfavorably on future boards and major deductions will be entertained.

Id.

Dissatisfied with this recommendation, on October 30,2006, plaintiff demanded a formal hearing. See Def.’s Br. filed Dec. 2, 2011, App. at 21. However, on December 6, 2006, plaintiff requested — and was granted — permission to waive her earlier election of a formal hearing “for the purpose[] of now concurring with the IPEB’s recommendations and findings.” Id. at 22. In requesting the waiver, plaintiff acknowledged that she would “have no further right to demand a formal hearing without substantial new evidence.” Id. Subsequent to this waiver, on February 3, 2007, plaintiff was promoted to Major and placed on the TDRL with a disability rating of 50%. AR 12. Plaintiff then began therapy with a civil provider and made a total of fifty-seven visits to a therapist between April 6, 2007, and March 21, 2008. Id. at 114. During each visit the therapist consistently rated plaintiff between a 60 and [447]*447a 51 on the Global Assessment of Functioning (“GAF”) scale, indicating a “Moderate” level of impairment. See id. at 52-109, 114.

Plaintiff was reevaluated by a second IPEB on July 11, 2008. Id. at 38. On September 4, 2008, the second IPEB released its report of plaintiffs reevaluation. Id. at 37. As part of that report, Maj. Kristina Money of the Air Force and Lt. Jonathan Kerr of the United States Navy — both members of the 79th Medical Wing — prepared a Psychiatric Addendum to the initial MEB report authored by Maj. Vidic. Id. at 38-41. Maj. Money and Lt. Kerr noted in their report that plaintiff had been receiving psy-chodynamie therapy, but had ceased therapy upon the death of her therapist in April 2008. Id. at 38. They also stated that plaintiff had complied with a new regimen of psychiatric medication and that plaintiff had pursued graduate coursework in psychology at Harvard University in pursuit of a Master’s Degree. Id. at 38-39. However, they also noted that, during her interview, plaintiff displayed “anxiety with mild psychomotor agitation.” Id. at 39.

Regarding her current state, Maj. Money and Lt. Ken’ found that plaintiffs MDD and PTSD were in partial remission, while her BPD was still an active illness. Id. at 40-^1. It was their opinion that plaintiff was “medically unacceptable,” according to Air Force regulations, and that, while plaintiff had “received the maximum benefit from current therapeutic modalities.... [h]er condition may be expected to worsen in the military environment. Her prognosis is guarded.” Id. at 41. The second IPEB appears to have accepted these findings because the IPEB also found plaintiffs MDD in partial remission and her PTSD resolving. Id. at 37.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
106 Fed. Cl. 443, 2012 U.S. Claims LEXIS 846, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-united-states-uscfc-2012.