Pate-Fires v. Astrue

• Decision Date: 06 May 2009
• Docket Number: No. 07-3561.,07-3561.
• Parties: Donna PATE-FIRES, Appellant, v. Michael J. ASTRUE, Appellee.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

564 F.3d 935

Donna PATE-FIRES, Appellant, v. Michael J. ASTRUE, Appellee.

No. 07-3561.

United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit.

Submitted: June 13, 2008.

Filed: May 6, 2009.

Eugene Gregory Wallace, argued, Buies Creek, NC, Anthony W. Bartels, Jonesboro, AR, on the brief, for appellant.

Clare Fisher, Social Security Admin., argued, Dallas, TX, Tina M. Wendell, Social Security Admin., Dallas, TX, Stacey E.

McCord, AUSA, Little Rock, AR, on the brief, for appellee.

Before MURPHY, BYE, and SHEPHERD, Circuit Judges.

BYE, Circuit Judge.

Donna Pate-Fires appeals the district court's order affirming the decision of an administrative law judge (ALJ) denying her application for disability insurance benefits and supplemental security income (SSI). Pate-Fires contends the ALJ's determination she has the residual functional capacity (RFC) to perform her past work is not supported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole. We agree and therefore reverse the judgment of the district court and remand this matter with instructions to award benefits.

I

Pate-Fires was born on February 27, 1964. She has a high school education and past relevant work as a stocker at Wal-Mart. On January 30, 1999, Pate-Fires was admitted for emergency inpatient treatment at Western Mental Health Institute in Jonesboro, Arkansas, after being arrested. R. at 170. In addition to threatening to kill her spouse and her neighbors, Pate-Fires called the fire department falsely claiming her neighbor's house was on fire. Id. She then went to her neighbor's house and banged on the door to alert them there was a fire in their house. Id. When she realized there was no fire in their house, she began claiming her house was on fire. Id. The medical records indicate she was disheveled and guarded to questioning, her affect was labile, her mood angry and depressed, and her psychomotor status tense. Her then-husband reported she had previously held a number of jobs, none of which had lasted for more than a couple weeks. He also reported she had been hospitalized for three months in 1987 after becoming manic, psychotic, and threatening, and again in 1988 for similar symptoms. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder I severe, with psychotic features, and assigned a current Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) of 40.¹

During Pate-Fires's stay at Western Mental Health Institute, she was delusional and placed on assault observation. She required a Haldol injection for delusional and bizarre behavior. On February 7, 1999, she tried to escape from the facility by climbing out her window, despite the fact she was told she was scheduled to be discharged the next day. The medical records indicate she responded well to Depakote, became less intrusive, and showed better interaction with peers and staff. Id. at 168. She was discharged on February 22, 1999. Despite her improvements, the doctor's prognosis was guarded "due to psychotic state and history given to (sic) patient." Id. at 69. At the time of discharge her GAF score was still 40. Id.

On December 5, 2002, Pate-Fires was again admitted to the Western Mental Health Institute on an involuntary basis, this time after being arrested for disorderly conduct as a result of attacking and threatening her spouse. Id. at 154. According to the summary of her psychiatric examination, at the time of admission she exhibited homicidal ideations and paranoid delusions and refused to keep her mental health appointments or take her medication. Id. She was diagnosed with a depressive disorder and a personality disorder and was prescribed Doxycycline. The summary further noted "[s]he was in complete denial of illness and judgment was poor.... [She] has a lengthy history of noncompliance with medication. She has had recent family conflict, manic behavior and homicidal threats. She has limited insight." Id. Pate-Fires was discharged on December 11, 2002. Her final diagnosis was depressive disorder and a GAF score of 50.² Id. at 56. The doctors' prognosis for her was "[p]oor due to underlying personality traits." Id.

On December 20, 2003, Pate-Fires was admitted to Mid-South Health Systems, Inc. (MSHS) in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on an emergency basis after the police arrested her for harassment and stealing (she filled her car with gas and then drove away without paying for it). R. at 130. Pate-Fires stated she did not understand what happens to her, and she was afraid. She repeatedly stated, "God forgive me, God forgive me." Id. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and given a GAF score of 45. Id. at 131. She remained at MSHS until December 30, 2003, when she was involuntarily committed to the Arkansas State Hospital, Division of Mental Health Services (ASH). On admission to ASH, Pate-Fires was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, type one, and given a GAF score of 31. Id. at 98. At the time of discharge in January 2004, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, type one, with her most recent episode being "manic with psychotic features," and a given a GAF score of 51.³ Id. The psychiatrist treating Pate-Fires, noted her "[j]udgment is poor as evidenced by medication noncompliance" and her "[i]nsight is poor as evidenced by not feeling as if she needs to be at the hospital for treatment." Id. at 96.

On February 4, 2004, Pate-Fires began outpatient treatment with Dr. David Erby, her treating psychiatrist at MSHS. At the time her GAF score was 50. Id. at 119. On March 2, 2004, Dr. Erby evaluated her treatment, noting she had gone off her medicine after her previous hospitalization and had relapsed to a degree. Id. at 125. However, Dr. Erby indicated she was now back on her medication and did not show any evidence of mania or hypomania. Id. Dr. Erby's notes indicate Pate-Fires was to follow up in one month, or sooner if she was unable to tolerate the medication. Id. In an addendum to his evaluation notes, Dr. Erby provided the following on Pate-Fires's disability status:

Ms. Pate is being treated for a major psychiatric disorder. She is not capable of participating in gainful employment. Her disability is related to the nature of her illness and side effects from the medication. Her stress tolerance is quite low. Her ability to stay focused with even minor tasks is impaired. Her ability to interact with supervisors and to follow instructions is impaired. Disability is expected to persist beyond one year.

Id. at 125.

On February 25, 2004, Pate-Fires filed an application for SSI benefits, alleging she had been disabled since January 1980 as a result of various mental impairments, including bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and/or schizophrenia. The Social Security Administration (SSA) denied her application initially and on reconsideration.

Following her initial application for SSI benefits, Pate-Fires continued to receive medical attention for her mental illness. On April 6, 2004, she again saw Dr. Erby. At the appointment, Dr. Erby noted Pate-Fires was feeling better on her current medication regimen (Zyprexa and Trileptal); her mind was not nearly as foggy and she was not having racing thoughts. Dr. Erby found no evidence of mania or hypomanic and reported her GAF to be 54. Id. at 124. On June 4, 2004, she was discharged from MSHS's outpatient treatment program because she had not shown up for treatment in over sixty days and the clinic had been unable to reach her by phone or mail. Id. at 121. The summary of her discharge states she exhibited a fluctuation of symptoms, but did show a positive response to medication. Id.

On June 9, 2004, Dr. George DeRoeck evaluated Pate-Fires. He noted, although she stated she "`may' be able to engage in a low stress job," she "`minimized' many of her mood swings," which was significant. Id. at 112. He also noted she evinced "poor judgment and limited descriptive ability with regard to her discontinued medication—alluding only when pressed to `not liking the side effects.'" Id. at 118. Dr. DeRoeck diagnosed her as having schizoaffective disorder versus bipolar disorder with periodic psychotic features, alcohol/cannabis/opiate abuse, and a then-current GAF score of 58. Id. at 117. Based on the evaluation, Dr. DeRoeck's prognosis for Pate-Fires was "guarded." Id.

On April 4, 2005, the Police Department in Marked Tree, Arkansas, referred Pate-Fires to MSHS's Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU). Per Dr. Erby's instruction, CSU staff admitted her to the residential unit for inpatient monitored care. Id. at 325. Although she had little recollection of the incident that led to her admission, she provided the following account to CSU staff: "that she had smoked a joint with her daughter, her daughter's boyfriend, and 3 other persons; that the next thing she remembers is yelling and screaming on her front lawn and somebody called the police" or "she walked to the Police station." Id.

At the time of admission, Pate-Fires had a GAF score of 36. Id. at 325. She indicated she stopped taking her medication sometime after her last appointment with Dr. Erby in October of 2004 because "I don't feel like I need them." Id. Following her admission, Dr. Erby evaluated Pate-Fires and diagnosed her with schizoaffective disorder and marijuana abuse and assessed her to have a GAF score of 52. Id. at 235. He indicated her judgment and insight were "[s]ignificantly impaired"; she was suffering from "[v]ague and paranoid delusions"; her intentions about others was guarded; and she exhibited "[i]nappropriate affect." Id. at 234. Dr. Erby provided the following assessment of her then-current mental status:

The patient obviously has a very long history of both affective and psychotic symptoms. These have been characterized as Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, or Schizophrenia. Ongoing substance abuse is a prominent problem, as is extremely poor insight resulting in poor medication compliance.... Ms. Pate appears to have a major psychiatric disorder which renders her gravely disabled and...