Opinion ID: 776851
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Joseph Scamihorn, Sr.'s Situation

Text: 15 Joseph Sr. was employed by American Veterans (AMVETS) as a full-time service officer and advocate for military veterans, representing veterans in the Reno area in disputes with the Veterans Administration. His primary office was located in the Ioannis A. Lougaris Veterans Medical Center in Reno, but he also maintained offices in two other locations and sometimes worked from home. Joseph Sr. became depressed after his daughter's death in July 1994. He stated in his declaration in opposition to summary judgment that Misty's death, combined with the physical and mental after-effects from the [1993] heart [bypass] surgery and the diverticulitis, put me into a state of deep despair and depression. 4 Beginning in July 1994 and continuing into 1995, he obtained counseling from psychologist Marilyn Brannon and psychiatrists Ronald Fox and Betty Small, all of whom worked at the Veterans Medical Center where Joseph Sr. had his own office. Dr. Small prescribed medication for Joseph Sr.'s depression. Dr. Fox stated that he suffered a significant depressive illness which resulted in his being treated at the Ioannis A. Lougaris Veterans Medical Center, Reno, Nevada for a depressive disorder. Dr. Brannon testified that Joseph Sr. functioned at a level of 65 on a scale of one to 100, where a rating of 100 means a person is fully functioning and a score of 55 or under means hospitalization likely is necessary. 16 Between July 3, 1994 (the date of Misty's death) and January 1996, Joseph Sr.'s work records do not show any missed days of work due to illness. Joseph Sr., in his declaration, claimed the records do not accurately reflect days he was at home and in fact not working due to his illness. He missed one week of work after Misty's funeral in July 1994 because he was grieving and unable to work, but this was recorded as annual leave rather than sick leave time. Additionally, Joseph Sr. declared that he missed seven days of work in August 1994 and that on five of those days he was so depressed that I could not work the rest of the week. Joseph Sr. did not dispute that he worked during much of the time he suffered from depression. He admitted: Work was part of my salvation. But he also said there were [t]imes when in the office I would breakdown. Dr. Brannon noted he tends to cope by pushing himself with work. According to Joseph Sr., his ability to perform his job duties despite his depression was in part because his wife also worked for AMVETS and had access to his office in the Veterans Medical Center, so she could assist him with paperwork and whatever tasks he could not perform from home. Additionally, during Joseph Sr.'s treatment, Dr. Brannon suggested to him that he give more of his workload to his assistant. It is unclear from the record whether he acted on that suggestion. 17 It is in this context that Scamihorn decided to move temporarily to Reno to assist his father. As Dr. Fox described the situation: 18 At the recommendation of Mr. Scamihorn's treating psychologist to involve family members in the recovery process, Mr. Scamihorn's son, Joseph Scamihorn, Jr., was contacted and subsequently chose to move to Reno, Nevada temporarily in an effort to help his father work through this loss as well as work through the loss for himself. 19 While living in Reno, Scamihorn spent several hours each day talking with his father about Misty's death. The son performed various chores around the house. He shoveled snow between November 1994 and January 1995, chopped the firewood used to heat the house on four or five occasions between October 1994 and December 1994, cleared the backyard and cleaned the garage. Scamihorn also drove his father to counseling sessions with his mental health care providers on four or five occasions when his father was too emotionally distraught to drive. Dr. Brannon testified that she could not remember if Joseph Sr. was driving around this time, but noted he had some problems with driving. In all events, it is undisputed that Joseph Sr. often drove himself to work on the days he worked out of his office at the Veterans Medical Center, which was located approximately 52 miles from his home. 20