Document Info

DocketNumber: 21-2171

Filed Date: 12/2/2022

Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 12/2/2022

  • Case: 21-2171   Document: 28     Page: 1    Filed: 12/02/2022
    United States Court of Appeals
    for the Federal Circuit
    ______________________
    GERRY E. GUDINAS,
    Claimant-Appellant
    v.
    DENIS MCDONOUGH, SECRETARY OF
    VETERANS AFFAIRS,
    Respondent-Appellee
    ______________________
    2021-2171
    ______________________
    Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for
    Veterans Claims in No. 19-2640, Judge Amanda L. Mere-
    dith, Judge Coral Wong Pietsch, Judge William S. Green-
    berg.
    ______________________
    Decided: December 2, 2022
    ______________________
    KENNETH M. CARPENTER, Law Offices of Carpenter
    Chartered, Topeka, KS, argued for claimant-appellant.
    AMANDA TANTUM, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil
    Division, United States Department of Justice, Washing-
    ton, DC, argued for respondent-appellee. Also represented
    by BRIAN M. BOYNTON, ERIC P. BRUSKIN, PATRICIA M.
    MCCARTHY; Y. KEN LEE, DEREK SCADDEN, Office of General
    Case: 21-2171    Document: 28      Page: 2    Filed: 12/02/2022
    2                                    GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH
    Counsel, United States Department of Veterans Affairs,
    Washington, DC.
    ______________________
    Before STOLL, BRYSON, and CUNNINGHAM, Circuit Judges.
    BRYSON, Circuit Judge.
    Appellant Gerry Gudinas was awarded a 50 percent
    disability rating for his service-connected post-traumatic
    stress disorder (“PTSD”) in 2005. In 2015, Mr. Gudinas
    filed a claim to increase his PTSD rating, and the Depart-
    ment of Veterans Affairs (“DVA”) determined that he was
    entitled to a 100 percent rating for PTSD. Mr. Gudinas
    challenges the DVA’s determination of the effective date for
    his 100 percent rating, arguing that his 2015 submission
    regarding PTSD constituted new and material evidence re-
    garding a 2014 claim he made for sleep apnea. For the rea-
    sons set forth below, we affirm.
    I
    Mr. Gudinas served in the United States Army from
    October 1966 to October 1968. In September 2005, the
    DVA determined that Mr. Gudinas suffered from service-
    connected PTSD and awarded him a 50 percent disability
    rating for that condition. The DVA also awarded Mr. Gudi-
    nas a 10 percent disability rating for service-connected tin-
    nitus. On May 30, 2014, Mr. Gudinas filed a claim for
    service-connected sleep apnea. The DVA denied that claim
    in an August 2014 rating decision. Mr. Gudinas timely
    filed a notice of disagreement with the August 2014 rating
    decision for sleep apnea.
    On October 26, 2015, counsel for Mr. Gudinas sent a
    letter to the DVA indicating that Mr. Gudinas was “cur-
    rently pursuing a claim for service connection for sleep ap-
    nea as secondary to his service-connected PTSD.” J.A. 49.
    Along with that letter, Mr. Gudinas sent a form requesting
    increased compensation for total disability based on
    Case: 21-2171    Document: 28      Page: 3    Filed: 12/02/2022
    GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH                                     3
    individual unemployability (“TDIU”) and a supplemental
    claim to increase his disability rating for PTSD. The DVA
    denied Mr. Gudinas’s TDIU claim but increased his PTSD
    disability rating to 100 percent. The DVA determined that
    Mr. Gudinas was entitled to an effective date of October 26,
    2015, for his increased rating.
    In November 2016, Mr. Gudinas submitted a notice of
    disagreement regarding the effective date for his 100-per-
    cent rating for PTSD. He argued that under the pertinent
    DVA regulation, 
    38 C.F.R. § 3.156
    (b), he was entitled to an
    effective date of May 30, 2014, because his October 2015
    submission constituted new and material evidence relating
    to his May 2014 claim for sleep apnea. The DVA denied
    entitlement to an earlier effective date. Mr. Gudinas ap-
    pealed that denial to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
    The Board rejected Mr. Gudinas’s contention that he
    was entitled to an earlier effective date for his 100-percent
    PTSD rating on the ground that his May 30, 2014, claim
    for sleep apnea was not related to his PTSD claim. The
    Board noted that Mr. Gudinas’s May 2014 claim did “not
    mention a psychiatric disability,” such as PTSD, and that
    the claim “contained no mention of or indication that [Mr.
    Gudinas] intended to file a claim for an increase in the
    PTSD rating.” J.A. 132. Accordingly, the Board held that
    the correct effective date for Mr. Gudinas’s 100 percent
    PTSD rating was October 26, 2015, the date of the request
    for an increase in his PTSD rating.
    Mr. Gudinas appealed the Board’s decision to the
    United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (“the
    Veterans Court”). In that appeal, Mr. Gudinas argued that
    the Board erred by failing to address whether the October
    2015 submissions constituted new and material evidence
    relating to the May 2014 claim. The Veterans Court began
    by assuming that Mr. Gudinas’s sleep apnea claim could be
    construed as a claim for secondary service connection to his
    PTSD. The court nevertheless affirmed the Board’s
    Case: 21-2171     Document: 28      Page: 4    Filed: 12/02/2022
    4                                     GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH
    decision because “[t]he law is clear that claims for second-
    ary service connection are not claims for increased compen-
    sation and are not part and parcel of a claim for increased
    compensation for the primary condition.” Gudinas v.
    McDonough, 
    34 Vet. App. 25
    , 37 (2021). The court added
    that “the Board essentially considered whether § 3.156(b)
    was triggered when it determined the nature of the May
    2014 claim,” and determined that section 3.156(b) was not
    triggered. Id. Mr. Gudinas appealed to this court.
    II
    We must affirm the decision of the Veterans Court un-
    less it is “(A) arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion,
    or otherwise not in accordance with law; (B) contrary to
    constitutional right, power, privilege, or immunity; (C) in
    excess of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations, or
    in violation of a statutory right; or (D) without observance
    of procedure required by law.” 
    38 U.S.C. § 7292
    (d)(1). Our
    review is limited to challenges to the “validity of any stat-
    ute or regulation or any interpretation thereof . . . , and to
    interpret constitutional and statutory provisions, to the ex-
    tent presented and necessary to a decision.” 
    Id.
     § 7292(c).
    We may only review “a challenge to a factual determina-
    tion” or “a challenge to a law or regulation as applied to the
    facts of a particular case” if the appeal presents a constitu-
    tional issue. Id. § 7292(d)(2).
    A
    We begin by addressing our jurisdiction. The govern-
    ment argues that we do not have jurisdiction over this case
    because the Veterans Court merely applied well-estab-
    lished law to the facts of Mr. Gudinas’s case. We disagree.
    Mr. Gudinas’s appeal hinges on an interpretation of 
    38 C.F.R. § 3.156
    (b). Mr. Gudinas’s interpretation of the reg-
    ulation, although broad, would entitle him to relief in this
    case if we were to accept it. Because the appeal presents a
    challenge to the DVA’s interpretation of section 3.156(b),
    we have the statutory authority and obligation to exercise
    Case: 21-2171     Document: 28      Page: 5    Filed: 12/02/2022
    GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH                                        5
    jurisdiction over Mr. Gudinas’s appeal.        See 
    38 U.S.C. § 7292
    (c).
    B
    Section 3.156(b) of the DVA’s regulations provides as
    follows:
    New and material evidence received prior to the ex-
    piration of the appeal period, or prior to the appel-
    late decision if a timely appeal has been filed . . . ,
    will be considered as having been filed in connec-
    tion with the claim which was pending at the be-
    ginning of the appeal period.
    
    38 C.F.R. § 3.156
    (b).
    Mr. Gudinas argues that section 3.156(b) requires the
    DVA to expressly assess whether a claim presents new and
    material evidence relating to a prior claim that was filed
    within the time limits described in the regulation, even if
    those two claims have no apparent relationship. In Mr.
    Gudinas’s view, because no such express assessment oc-
    curred here, we should remand this case to the Board to
    make that determination in the first instance. We reject
    that broad reading of section 3.156(b).
    This case is similar to our decision in Manzanares v.
    Shulkin, 
    863 F.3d 1374
     (Fed. Cir. 2017), in several re-
    spects. In Manzanares, the veteran filed a claim to in-
    crease the disability rating for her service-connected ankle
    condition, and the DVA awarded an increased rating for
    that condition. 
    Id. at 1375
    . During the appeal period for
    the DVA’s decision, the veteran filed a claim for a back con-
    dition, which she asserted was secondary to her ankle con-
    dition. 
    Id.
     The veteran argued that section 3.156(b)
    required that her back condition be treated as “new and
    material evidence” regarding her ankle condition, and that
    the two claims should therefore be given the same effective
    date.
    Case: 21-2171    Document: 28      Page: 6    Filed: 12/02/2022
    6                                    GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH
    In Manzanares, the veteran also relied on 
    38 C.F.R. § 3.310
    (a), which provides that “[w]hen service connection
    is established for a secondary condition, the secondary con-
    dition shall be considered a part of the original condition.”
    The Manzanares court, however, noted that section
    3.310(a) “does not mean that primary and secondary condi-
    tions receive the same effective date.” Manzanares, 863
    F.3d at 1377 (citing Ellington v. Peake, 
    541 F.3d 1364
    ,
    1365–70 (Fed. Cir. 2008)). The court therefore held that
    the Veterans Court did not err in awarding a later effective
    date for the veteran’s claim for her back condition. 
    Id. at 1379
    .
    Manzanares makes clear that it was not error for the
    Board to treat Mr. Gudinas’s claim for sleep apnea and his
    claim for an increased PTSD rating as separate claims for
    purposes of determining the claims’ effective dates. Mr.
    Gudinas, however, contends that Manzanares does not gov-
    ern this case, because the Manzanares court did not ad-
    dress section 3.156(b) and because the court did not
    address the relationship between the terms “claim” and
    “benefit” in 
    38 C.F.R. § 20.3
    .
    With respect to section 3.156(b), Mr. Gudinas argues
    that his position is supported by our decisions in Bond v.
    Shinseki, 
    659 F.3d 1362
     (Fed. Cir. 2011), and Beraud v.
    McDonald, 
    766 F.3d 1402
     (Fed. Cir. 2014). In Bond, we
    held that the DVA should have determined whether a
    claim for an increased rating for PTSD constituted new and
    material evidence relating to an earlier claim for PTSD.
    Bond, 
    659 F.3d at 1363
    , 1368–69. In Beraud, we held that
    the DVA should have determined whether medical records
    submitted regarding a headache condition were new and
    material evidence relating to an earlier claim for the same
    headache condition. Beraud, 766 F.3d at 1403, 1407. As
    we observed in Manzanares, both of those cases deal with
    a new claim relating to the same condition as that de-
    scribed in the earlier claim. See Manzanares, 863 F.3d at
    1379. In this case, on the other hand, the new claim relates
    Case: 21-2171     Document: 28      Page: 7     Filed: 12/02/2022
    GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH                                        7
    to a different condition (PTSD) from that of the earlier
    claim (sleep apnea).
    Furthermore, in a recent non-precedential opinion, we
    held that Bond and Beraud do not “require[] the Board to
    make explicit findings as to § 3.156(b)” when determining
    the effective date for a claim of secondary service connec-
    tion. Jordan v. McDonough, No. 2021-1811, 
    2022 WL 2712506
    , at *2 (Fed. Cir. July 13, 2022). We agree with the
    court in Jordan that the Board need not explicitly deter-
    mine whether a claim constitutes “new and material evi-
    dence” relating to a previous claim when the two claims are
    separate for effective-date purposes and the conditions un-
    derlying the claims have no apparent connection to one an-
    other. That is the case here: The Board made a factual
    finding that Mr. Gudinas’s May 2014 claim did not mention
    a psychiatric disability or reflect an intent to file for an in-
    creased disability rating for PTSD, and Mr. Gudinas did
    not raise a challenge to that finding in the Veterans Court.
    See Gudinas, 34 Vet. App. at 32 n.5. That finding is bind-
    ing on us.
    With respect to the regulatory definitions of “claim”
    and “benefit,” Mr. Gudinas argues that those definitions
    require that his claim for an increased PTSD rating be con-
    sidered as part of the same “claim” as his sleep apnea
    claim. Section 20.3(f) defines “claim” as “a written commu-
    nication requesting a determination of entitlement . . . to a
    specific benefit under the laws administered by the [DVA].”
    
    38 C.F.R. § 20.3
    (f). Section 20.3(e) defines “benefit” as “any
    payment . . . , entitlement to which is determined under
    laws administered by the [DVA] pertaining to veterans and
    their dependents and survivors.” 
    Id.
     § 20.3(e).
    Mr. Gudinas argues that his sleep apnea claim should
    be treated as secondary to his PTSD claim. If it were
    treated as such, he contends that the two separate claims
    would represent a single “claim” for purposes of section
    20.3(f) because they are both seeking the same “specific
    Case: 21-2171     Document: 28     Page: 8    Filed: 12/02/2022
    8                                     GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH
    benefit”: an increase in service-connected compensation.
    However, the definitions of “claim” and “benefit” do not
    suggest that a claim regarding a secondary condition
    should be treated as the same claim as a claim regarding a
    primary condition simply because they both seek addi-
    tional compensation. See also Manzanares, 863 F.3d at
    1378 (“[T]here is nothing in the definition of ‘claim’ in 
    38 C.F.R. § 20.3
    (f) that suggests it includes secondary condi-
    tions or that it carves out a separate rule for secondary ser-
    vice connection.”).
    Moreover, adopting Mr. Gudinas’s arguments regard-
    ing section 20.3 would run afoul of our holding in Ellington.
    In that case, we reasoned that 
    38 C.F.R. § 3.310
    (a) does not
    require that a claim for secondary service connection be
    given the same effective date as an earlier claim for the re-
    lated primary condition, because “secondary conditions
    may not arise until years after the onset of the original con-
    dition.” Ellington, 541 F.3d at 1369. Under Mr. Gudinas’s
    reading of the regulations, a secondary condition that
    arises after the filing of an original claim would be entitled
    to an earlier effective date than the date the condition arose
    if the appeal relating to the primary condition were still
    pending. Such a result would be inconsistent with the rea-
    soning underlying our holding in Ellington. Accordingly,
    we decline to adopt Mr. Gudinas’s reading of the definitions
    in section 20.3(e).
    At bottom, even if Mr. Gudinas’s claim for sleep apnea
    were considered secondary to his PTSD claim, the two
    claims would not need to be treated as the same claim for
    purposes of determining their effective dates. And the
    Board is not required to explicitly determine whether a
    submission constitutes “new and material evidence” where,
    as here, the conditions underlying the two claims have no
    apparent connection. Accordingly, we uphold the decision
    of the Veterans Court that Mr. Gudinas is entitled to an
    effective date of October 26, 2015, for his 100 percent
    Case: 21-2171    Document: 28     Page: 9    Filed: 12/02/2022
    GUDINAS   v. MCDONOUGH                                    9
    disability rating for PTSD, not an effective date of May 30,
    2014.
    No costs.
    AFFIRMED