Title: T.H. v. Division of Developmental Disabilities

State: new-jersey

Issuer: New Jersey Supreme Court

Document:

SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY A- 114 September Term 2005 T.H., Petitioner-Appellant, v. DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITES, Respondent-Respondent. Argued November 13, 2006 Decided March 1, 2007 On certification to the Superior Court, Appellate Division, whose opinion is reported at 381 N.J. Super. 366 (2005). S. Paul Prior argued the cause for appellant (Hinkle & Fingles, attorneys). Beth Leigh Mitchell, Deputy Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent (Stuart Rabner, Attorney General of New Jersey, attorney; Michael J. Haas, Assistant Attorney General, of counsel; Amy E. Duff, Deputy Attorney General, on the briefs). Ronald K. Chen, Public Advocate of New Jersey, argued the cause for amicus curiae, Public Advocate. JUSTICE LONG delivered the opinion of the Court. T.H. is a fifty-five year old man who suffers from Asperger s Syndrome, a developmental disability. Like many developmentally disabled persons, T.H. was cared for by his parents for his entire lifetime. They provided for his every need and sought no outside assistance. In 2000, T.H. s last parent died. One day later, he attempted suicide. Thereafter, his family sought services on his behalf from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). His application was rejected because he failed to satisfy N.J.A.C. 10:46-1.3, which requires that an applicant suffer substantial functional limitations in three or more areas of major life activity before the age of 22. Although DDD s own expert recognized that T.H. has suffered from Asperger s since childhood, DDD rejected the evidence proffered by T.H. s family regarding his childhood limitations because it was anecdotal and not documentary. T.H. appealed and the Appellate Division affirmed. We hold that, because there is no statutory requirement that an applicant for services develop substantial functional limitations in three major life areas before age 22, the regulatory imposition of that requirement exceeded the power of DDD. We further hold that DDD s rejection of the evidence proffered by T.H. s family, not on credibility grounds, but because it was anecdotal and not documentary, was arbitrary. Because T.H. was an adult long before Asperger s was a recognized disorder, See footnote 1 medical, educational and psychological documentation of his symptoms and treatment before age twenty-two was simply not available. The observations of his family, if believed by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), should have been considered an adequate substitute. We therefore reverse and remand the matter to DDD for reconsideration of T.H. s application under the proper statutory standard giving due weight to the evidence proffered on his behalf. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years). There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia. [DSM-IV-TR, supra, at 84]. Features of Asperger s Disorder generally become apparent in children between three and five years of age, in some cases earlier. See DSM-IV-TR 299.80, supra, at 80, 81; Stephen Bauer, Asperger Syndrome: The Preschool Child (1996), http://www.aspennj.org/bauer.html; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet: What is Asperger Syndrome?, http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_ asperger.htm. Today, children with Asperger s Disorder are ordinarily diagnosed between six and ten years of age. See Ernst O. VanBergeijk & Oren Shtayermman, Asperger s Syndrome: An Enigma for Social Work, 12 J. of Hum. Behav. in the Soc. Env t 23, 24 (2005). However, because the condition was not recognized or classified as a disorder until recently, many adult sufferers never received a diagnosis or treatment. See Families of Adults Affected by Asperger s Syndrome, http://www.faaas.org. Therefore, medical, psychiatric, and educational documentation of their early condition is unavailable. However, clinicians regularly diagnose and treat Asperger s Disorder based on information supplied by family members. See VanBergeijk & Shtayermman, supra, at 24 (stating that family members are extremely important source of information in assessing Asperger s cases). (ii) is manifested before the individual attains age 22; (iii) is likely to continue indefinitely; (iv) results in substantial functional limitations in 3 or more of the following areas of major life activity: (I) Self-care. (II) Receptive and expressive language. (III) Learning. (IV) Mobility. (V) Self-direction. (VI) Capacity for independent living. (VII) Economic self-sufficiency; and (v) reflects the individual's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, individualized supports, or other forms of assistance that are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated. (B) Infants and young children. An individual from birth to age 9, inclusive, who has a substantial developmental delay or specific congenital or acquired condition, may be considered to have a developmental disability without meeting 3 or more of the criteria described in clauses (i) through (v) of subparagraph (A) if the individual, without services and supports, has a high probability of meeting those criteria later in life. [42 U.S.C.A. 15002(8).] To obtain federal funding, New Jersey, like every other state, enacted its own Developmentally Disabled Rights Act (DDRA), N.J.S.A. 30:6D-1 to -12, in 1977. The DDRA, in turn, protects certain fundamental rights of persons who are institutionalized or receive services because of a developmental disability and tracks the federal definition of developmental disability as follows: "Developmental disability" means a severe, chronic disability of a person which: (1) is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental or physical impairments; (2) is manifest before age 22; (3) is likely to continue indefinitely; (4) results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity, that is, self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction and capacity for independent living or economic self-sufficiency; and (5) reflects the need for a combination and sequence of special inter-disciplinary or generic care, treatment or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated. Developmental disability includes but is not limited to severe disabilities attributable to mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, spina-bifida and other neurological impairments where the above criteria are met; [N.J.S.A. 30:6D-3(a).] The Developmental Disabilities (DDD) Act, N.J.S.A. 30:6D-23 to -32, that established DDD to provide required services to the developmentally disabled, contains the identical definition. N.J.S.A. 30:6D-25(b). Under the DDD Act, the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services has the authority to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the [Act s] purposes. N.J.S.A. 30:6D-32; N.J.S.A. 30:6D-25(a). In 1990, pursuant to that grant, DDD enacted regulations that adopted verbatim the definition of developmental disability contained in N.J.S.A. 30:6D-3(a) and N.J.S.A. 30:6D-25(b). Those regulations were amended in 1995. 27 N.J.R. 2157(a) (June 5, 1995). The 1995 version remains in effect and defines developmental disability as: a severe, chronic disability of an individual which: 1. Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental or physical impairments; 2. Is manifest before age 22; 3. Is likely to continue indefinitely; 4. Results in substantial functional limitations before the age of 22 in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: i. Self-care; ii. Receptive and expressive language; iii. Learning; iv. Mobility; v. Self-direction; and/or vi. Capacity for independent living or economic self-sufficiency; and 5. Reflects the need for a combination and sequence of special interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated. 6. Developmental disability includes, but is not limited to, severe disabilities attributable to mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, spina bifida and other neurological impairments where the above criteria are met. [N.J.A.C. 10:46-1.3 (emphasis added).] It is the underscored change that is at the heart of this appeal because it is the basis on which T.H. s application was denied. SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY NO. A-114 SEPTEMBER TERM 2005 ON CERTIFICATION TO Appellate Division, Superior Court T.H., Petitioner-Appellant, v. DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, Respondent-Respondent. DECIDED March 1, 2007 Chief Justice Zazzali PRESIDING OPINION BY Justice Long CONCURRING/DISSENTING OPINIONS BY DISSENTING OPINION BY