Lead Opinion
On Appeal from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
Before the Court is Marvin Robinson’s appeal of a May 17, 2004, Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) decision in which he was denied service connection on a secondary basis for heart disease and a thyroid disability. In that decision, the Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to an increased disability rating for Mr. Robinson’s service-connected peptic ulcer disease. The remanded matter is not before the Court. Because Mr. Robinson has failed to demonstrate any error in the Board decision or any reason his new theory of entitlement should enjoy the benefit of a discretionary remand from this Court, the Board decision will be affirmed. See Maggitt v. West,
I. FACTS
Mr. Robinson served on active duty in the U.S. Navy from October 1986 to April 1988. In November 1988, he was awarded
In December 1998, he filed a claim for VA benefits for, among other things, heart and thyroid conditions, which he asserted had their onset in February 1996. In September 1999, a VA regional office denied him service connection for heart disease and a hyperthyroid condition secondary to his service-connected peptic ulcer disease. Mr. Robinson filed a Notice of Disagreement in November 1999 asserting that he disagreed with the regional office’s denial of “service connection for heart disease and hyperthyroid condition as secondary to [his] service[-]connected peptic ulcer disease.” Record (R.) at 139 (emphasis added). That Notice of Disagreement was submitted along with a letter from attorney John F. Cameron, informing VA that attorney Cameron was being designated as Mr. Robinson’s attorney. R. at 141-42. Attorney Cameron asked that multiple documents, including Mr. Robinson’s Notice of Disagreement, be associated with Mr. Robinson’s claims file.
In October 2001, the Board remanded Mr. Robinson’s claims to the regional office for additional development. Specifically, the Board ordered the regional office, among other things, to (1) “arrange for a VA examination by an appropriate specialist in order to determine the nature, severity, and etiology of the thyroid disorder” and (2) “arrange for a VA examination by a cardiovascular specialist in order to determine the nature, severity, and etiology of any cardiovascular disorder.” R. at 189-90. The examiner was specifically directed to opine as to whether those conditions were related to or aggravated by Mr. Robinson’s service-connected peptic ulcer disease.
The report from a November 2002 VA thyroid and parathyroid diseases examination reflects the examiner’s opinion that Mr. Robinson’s “chest pain ... claimed as heart problems ... was secondary to his [hjyperthyroidism” and that “[t]here is no heart problem that is attributable to his service[-]connected peptic ulcer disease!;] and his thyroid condition ... is not related to his service-connected peptic ulcer disease.” R. at 697. There is of record a document that purports to be the report from a November 2002 VA heart examination. See R. at 698. Under the heading “[examination results,” that document states only the following: “Please see the Thyroid/Parathyroid compensation and pensions examination.” Id.
The Board, in the May 2004 decision now on appeal, denied service connection on a secondary basis for heart disease and a thyroid disability. In so doing, the Board relied on the November 2002 VA examination report, which “found no relationship between the service-connected peptic ulcer disease and the two later arising diseases.” R. at 9.
In his brief, Mr. Robinson raises three arguments. First, he contends that the Board violated Stegall v. West,
In response, the Secretary contends that Mr. Robinson is challenging the propriety
On February 8, 2007, the Court issued an order notifying the parties that it was interested in resolving, among other things, the following two questions raised in this appeal: First, whether or not representation by counsel before the Agency is a factor to be considered in determining whether the Court should apply the exhaustion doctrine to affirm a Board decision rather than adjudicate or remand a new theory of entitlement first raised on appeal. And, second, whether representation by counsel before the Agency has any effect on the Court’s analysis of whether VA fulfilled its obligation to consider and decide all issues reasonably raised by the claim. The Court then allowed the parties to file supplemental pleadings addressing these issues. In addition, the Court allowed for the filing of amicus briefs.
In response to that order, the Court received supplemental pleadings from the parties and multiple amicus briefs. The gist of Mr. Robinson’s supplemental pleading and the amicus filings is that the Court cannot impose an exhaustion requirement because to do so would violate the principles established in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sims v. Apfel,
In his supplemental pleading, the Secretary argues that the Court can apply the exhaustion doctrine because 38 U.S.C. § 7105(c)(3) provides that an appeal to the Board “should set out specific allegations of error of fact or law.” 38 U.S.C. § 7105(c)(3). He further notes that VA’s regulation essentially mimics the statute. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.202 (2006) (“The Substantive Appeal should set out specific arguments relating to errors of fact or law made by the agency of original jurisdiction in reaching the determination, or determinations, being appealed.”). Citing Andrews, the Secretary goes on to assert that whether an appellant is represented by counsel is relevant in assessing the Secretary’s obligation to read claims sympathetically. The Secretary asserts that, in this case, Mr. Robinson was represented by counsel for the entire six years that his appeal was pending before VA and that, at no time before VA did Mr. Robinson raise arguments regarding service connection on a direct basis. In essence, the Secretary argues that this case is more about a represented appellant’s failure to raise arguments than it is about the Secretary’s duty
II. ANALYSIS
A. Is Mr. Robinson’s Argument on Appeal for Service Connection on a Direct Basis for Heart Disease and a Thyroid Disability a Separate Claim for Disability Benefits for Those Conditions?
Our ability to exercise jurisdiction over this appeal hinges on whether Mr. Robinson is advancing a new claim or merely a new argument in support of his claim. If Mr. Robinson is advancing a new claim, we lack jurisdiction over this appeal because there is no final Board decision on that claim. See 38 U.S.C. §§ 7252(a), 7266(a); see also Breeden v. Principi,
In Roebuck v. Nicholson, we held that “although there may be multiple theories or means of establishing entitlement to a benefit for a disability, if the theories all pertain to the same benefit for the same disability, they constitute the same claim.”
There is, however, an early decision in which this Court reached a conclusion unlike the conclusions discussed above. In Perman v. Brown, a decision issued before Congress eliminated the well-grounded-claim requirement by enacting the Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000, this Court, without any legal analysis, held that a claim for disability benefits on a theory of secondary service connection is separate and distinct from a claim for disability benefits on a theory of direct service connection for that same disability.
Under the no longer existent well-grounded-claim requirement, VA’s duty to assist was not triggered until some evidence was presented in support of each element of the claim. See Morton v. West,
Here, Mr. Robinson, who has been represented by attorney Cameron since the submission of his original Notice of Disagreement in November 1999, has pursued YA benefits for heart disease and a thyroid disability only on a secondary basis — that is, on the theory that those conditions are attributable to his service-connected peptic ulcer disease. In his brief in this appeal, Mr. Robinson contends, for the first time, that he is entitled to service connection for those disabilities on a direct basis and that the Board erred in failing to address service connection on a direct basis. See Appellant’s Br. at 11-12. In fact, at oral argument, Mr. Robinson even conceded that his claim for benefits on a secondary basis has no merit and that all that he pursues now is service connection on a direct basis. Because, as explained above, his new argument in support of disability benefits on a direct basis does not constitute a separate claim, we possess jurisdiction over the matter and will consider the argument. See Maggitt,
B. Did the Board Err in Failing To Discuss Service Connection on a Direct Basis?
Having determined that the appellant’s theory may be properly raised to the Court, we turn to the question of whether it was error for the Board not to explicitly address this theory. As explained below, there are two reasons why we are not persuaded by Mr. Robinson’s argument that the Board erred in failing to discuss service connection on a direct basis. First, Mr. Robinson’s reliance on Schroeder is misplaced. And, second, the facts of this case, particularly the fact that Mr. Robinson has been represented by counsel since November 1999, compel us to conclude that the Board did not err in failing to discuss entitlement to disability benefits on a direct basis.
1. Schroeder Does Not Support Mr. Robinson’s Argument
Mr. Robinson’s terse argument in his brief that the Board erred in failing to discuss service connection on a direct basis is premised entirely on the Federal Circuit’s decision in Schroeder. See Appellant’s Br. at 11-12. The appellant in Schroeder appealed a Board decision denying him service connection for a bilateral eye disorder on a direct basis and as a result of Agent Orange exposure. See id. at 1267. On appeal, this Court concluded that the Board had erred in finding the Agent Orange claim not well grounded. This Court, however, affirmed the Board’s decision denying service connection on a direct basis on the basis that that “claim” was not well grounded.
As discussed above, the Federal Circuit expressly rejected this Court’s decision that two different theories equaled two
Mr. Robinson’s case is entirely different. VA has consistently denied Mr. Robinson service connection on a secondary basis only. As a consequence, Schroeder, which dealt with the Board’s denial of a particular benefit claimed on more than one basis, does not fit the facts of this case. Nothing in the Federal Circuit’s decision in Schroeder supports Mr. Robinson’s position that the Board is required to explicitly discuss a particular theory. As a consequence, Schroeder does not support Mr. Robinson’s argument that the Board was required to discuss service connection on a direct basis.
To summarize, the Federal Circuit’s ultimate conclusion in Schroeder is “well grounded as to one theory, well grounded as to all theories.” In other words, the duty to assist applies to the entire claim, which might require assistance in developing more than one theory in support of that claim. Schroeder does not address whether VA has an obligation to explicitly discuss sua sponte a particular theory in the first place.
2. The Board Did Not Err in Failing To Address All Issues Raised by Mr. Robinson or the Evidence of Record.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we recognize that, the Board is required to consider all issues raised either by the claimant, Schroeder,
Nonetheless, in addressing those theories, the Court has held that the Board is not required to discuss all of the evidence of record but rather it must discuss the relevant evidence. Dela Cruz v. Principi
The essential logic of all these cases is the same. As a nonadversarial adjudicator, the Board’s obligation to analyze claims goes beyond the arguments explicitly made. However, it does not require the Board to assume the impossible task of inventing and rejecting every conceivable argument in order to produce a valid decision. The question of the precise location of the line between the issues fairly raised by the appellant’s pleadings and the record and those that are not must be based on the record in the case at hand; therefore, it is an essentially factual question. However, we disagree with the dissent as to the fundamental nature of the line. Our dissenting colleague suggests that “ ‘all possible’ ” causes must be investigated by the Secretary. Ante pp. 558-59 (quoting Schroeder,
However, Congress has not used such unbounded language. For example, the duty to provide a medical examination as to whether a particular theory of service connection has merit is explicitly limited to situations where there is already some evidence in the record of a current disability and some evidence that “indicates” that the disability “may be associated” with the claimant’s military service. 38 U.S.C. § 5103A(d)(2)(B). If Congress had wanted the Secretary to automatically provide an examination on all possible theories, then section 5103A would not read the way it does. In this regard, we note that if the evidence is insufficient to reach the low threshold necessary to trigger the duty to assist, see McLendon v. Nicholson,
Our dissenting colleague supports her belief in the Secretary’s duty to investigate all possible theories by suggesting that causes “unknown” to the appellant are those that “could not have been previously raised by the appellant.” Ante p. 559. This is simply not true. It is entirely possible that the record might “indicate” a theory of entitlement, but that a lay appellant might not be sophisticated enough to recognize the theory. Hence, a theory can be both unknown to the appellant and suggested by the record. See Ingram v. Nicholson,
a. Service connection on a direct basis was not raised by the appellant to the Board.
First, we consider whether direct service connection was argued below. To do so, we must consider how to read the appellant’s submissions. In the Secretary’s supplemental memorandum of law, filed in response to the Court’s February 8, 2007, order, the Secretary acknowledges that as a matter of practice <fVA reads all submissions sympathetically, even when a claimant is represented by counsel.” Secretary’s Supplemental Memorandum at 8. The Secretary goes on to assert that “in the six years [that Mr. Robinson’s] appeal was pending before [VA], neither he nor his counsel presented any argument to support his claims.” Id. at 9. The Secretary is correct. In neither his January 2000 nor his May 2001 Substantive Appeal did Mr. Robinson assert anything of real substance.
The presence of attorney Cameron throughout the appeals process before the Agency is a significant factor that solidifies our conclusion. See Andrews,
Ultimately, there was nothing in Mr. Robinson’s appeal to the Board, prepared on his behalf by attorney Cameron, that the Board could have been expected to liberally construe or read sympathetically in order to determine that Mr. Robinson was seeking to have his claim adjudicated on a theory of direct service connection in addition to a theory of secondary service connection. Therefore, the Board did not err by failing to adjudicate his claim on the basis of direct service connection. The Statement of the Case to which Mr. Robinson himself referred in his May 2001 Substantive Appeal made it clear that the regional office had adjudicated and denied his heart and thyroid claims solely on a secondary-service-connection basis. See R. at 179-81. In his appeal to the Board, Mr. Robinson merely asserted that he disagreed with that specific conclusion. In that appeal, prepared on his behalf by attorney Cameron, Mr. Robinson did not address the issue on entitlement to service connection on a direct basis. Indeed, as noted above, it was in Mr. Robinson’s brief to this Court that he first contended that he was seeking service connection on a direct basis. As a result, we find that no amount of liberal construction by the Board of Mr. Robinson’s arguments on appeal could have led it to believe that Mr. Robinson was taking issue with VA’s failure to adjudicate his claims on a direct theory as opposed to a secondary one. See Schroeder,
b. Service connection on a direct basis was not suggested by the record before the Board.
Turning to whether the evidence of record before the Board raised the issue of service connection on a direct theory, we note that in his opening brief Mr. Robinson does not point to any evidence that he contends raised that theory or that should have compelled the Board to adjudicate his claim on a direct theory in addition to a secondary theory. We therefore have no basis for concluding that the Board erred in failing to address the claim in terms of a theory of direct service connection. See Solomon,
Our dissenting colleague indicates that she would find the evidence first mentioned. in Mr. Robinson’s reply brief sufficient to demonstrate prejudicial error by the Board. We disagree. There is simply no medical or lay evidence of continuity of symptomatology that links the symptoms reported in 1988 to Mr. Robinson’s current condition in a way that suggests that direct service connection. It is impractical to require the Board to explicitly mention every prior medical record noting any type of symptom and state that there is no evidence that the symptom is directly connected to .the current condition. Such a
For all the reasons stated above, based on the evidence contained in the record, as well as Mr. Robinson’s statements throughout his appeal, the Court concludes that the Board did not erred in failing to adjudicate his claim for VA benefits for heart disease and a thyroid disability on a direct basis. See Schroeder,
C. Compliance With the 2001 Board Remand Order
“[A] remand by this Court or the Board confers on the ... claimant, as a matter of law, the right to compliance with the remand orders.” Stegall, 11 VetApp. at 271. When “the remand orders of the Board or this Court are not complied with, the Board itself errs in failing to [ejnsure compliance.” Id. Such an error can constitute the basis for a remand by this Court. Id.
As an initial matter, Mr. Robinson did not raise his argument regarding VA’s compliance with the Board’s remand order of 2001 before the Board in 2004 when the matter was returned to the Board following its prior remand order. Nevertheless, rather than remanding the case for the Board to discuss that argument in the first instance, we will consider it ourselves. It is not surprising that Mr. Robinson’s Ste-gall argument bears a striking resemblance to his argument that the Board erred in failing to adjudicate service connection on a direct theory. He argues that the November 2002 VA examiner failed to comply with the Board’s October 2001 remand order because the examiner addressed only secondary service connection and did not provide an opinion regarding the etiology of the heart and thyroid conditions. See Appellant’s Br. at 8 (“Dr. Schroff improperly limited his reports only to the issue of whether the two conditions were caused by or related to the [a]ppel-lant’s [peptic ulcer disease].”). Again, we are not persuaded.
The Board’s remand order, read in its entirety, does not support Mr. Robinson’s argument. The relevant paragraphs of the 2001 Board remand order state that the regional office “should arrange for a VA examination ... in order to determine the nature, severity, and etiology” of Mr. Robinson’s heart and thyroid disorders. R. at 189-90. Although such broad language arguably supports Mr. Robinson’s argument, it cannot be read out of context. In that regard, later in the relevant paragraphs of the order, the Board made it abundantly clear that the examiner was requested to opine only as to whether the heart and thyroid conditions were “caused or ... aggravated by the service[-]conneeted peptic ulcer disease,” in other words, as to whether the heart and thyroid conditions are related to Mr. Robinson’s service on a secondary basis. Id. The examiner did not “improperly” limit his opinion, as Mr. Robinson contends; he complied with the Board’s directive regarding the medical examination and opinion required. Appellant’s Br. at 8. In sum, the examiner answered the questions posed by the Board and did not err in failing to render an opinion on a subject other than that to which the Board directed him.
D. Duty To Assist Argument
Mr. Robinson argues that the Secretary violated his duty to assist by relying on the inadequate November 2002 VA examina
E. Remand Under Maggitt v. West,
Despite the complete absence of error in the Board decision on review, the Court still has the power to remand this matter if some other factor renders remand appropriate. 38 U.S.C. § 7252(a). An example of such a factor is an intervening change in law. See, e.g., Vaughn v. Principi,
Subsequent to Maggitt, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Sims, supra. At issue in Sims was whether a Social Security claimant seeking judicial review of an administrative law judge’s decision waived court consideration of any issues that were not raised in her request for review by the Social Security Appeals Council. See Sims,
While the appellant asserts that Sims has narrowed — if not eliminated — the scope of Maggitt, the Court does not agree. The Court’s authority and Maggitt were already narrower than Sims. Hence, Sims does not affect Maggitt. To be clear, the essence of Sims is that a Social Security claimant is not barred from arguing before a Federal district court, a judicial tribunal, a particular theory of error in the original ALJ decision simply because that error was not raised during the appeal to the Social Security Appeals Council, an administrative appellant tribunal. Even without Sims, the Court has long held that the Board itself commits error by failing to address issues reasonably raised by the record. See Solomon, supra. Hence, consistent with Sims, the Court does not require that an issue be argued to the Board, an administrative appellate tribunal, in order for it to be raised before the Court, a judicial tribunal. In other words, Sims holds that an allegation of error can be raised at any level in a nonadversarial setting. However, Sims does not allow an unsupported theory of entitlement to be raised at any time so as to entitle an appellant to a remand not based on error.
This case differs from Sims because here the question of whether to exercise discretion to remand under Maggitt deals only with a situation where the remand would not be based upon error. Nothing
To summarize, Mr. Robinson has neither demonstrated error in the Board decision nor offered a reason why counsel could not have argued the theory of direct service connection during the seven years this matter has been before VA. In particular, he has offered no reason why this theory could not have been included in the Substantive Appeals that otherwise contained no arguments. Nonetheless, counsel is before this Court with a new theory and seeking the advantage of having the Court return his claim to the head of the line so that his failure to raise this theory earlier will have no consequence. See 38 U.S.C. § 5109B, 7112 (West Supp.2006) (requiring Secretary to provide for “expeditious treatment” of claims remanded by Board or Court). In the absence of error or a justification for not raising the issue earlier, it is simply not fair to accord Mr. Robinson special treatment or to make other claimants wait for decisions while he receives expedited treatment from VA. He remains free to raise this theory in attempt to reopen his claim for service connection.
III. CONCLUSION
On consideration of the foregoing, the May 17, 2004, Board decision is AFFIRMED.
Notes
. Although the law encourages, but does not compel, an appellant to provide substantive argument to the Board, see supra pp. 551-52, an appellant's failure to do so clearly bears heavily on whether the Board failed to liberally construe the appellant's assertions, particularly where a veteran is represented by counsel.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent from the majority’s interpretation and application of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s (Federal Circuit) decision in Schroeder v. West,
The appellant argues that “[t]he Board and Secretary failed to address Mr. Robinson’s two claims on a direct service connection basis to adjudicate whether his thyroid condition and/or his heart condition were caused in part by his military duties in service.” Appellant’s Brief (Br.) at 11-12. He contends that this failure is a violation of the Federal Circuit’s holding in Schroeder, which he contends requires VA to assist the claimant by investigating “all possible in-service causes of that current disability, including those unknown to the veteran.” Appellant’s Br. at 12 (quoting Schroeder,
Although Schroeder undeniably arose in the context of the Board denying benefits on multiple bases that were previously raised by the appellant, I see no reason to limit what is, in my view, its essential holding, as the majority does. The Federal Circuit did not qualify VA’s obligation to assist a claimant, nor does the Schroeder holding turn on the procedural posture of the case. I believe the breadth of the Federal Circuit’s language also undermines the majority’s assertion that “Schroeder does not address whether VA has an obligation to explicitly discuss sua sponte a particular theory in the first place.” Ante p. 552. If VA’s obligation to investigate causes of a disability includes those causes that are “unknown” to the claimant, these causes would not and could not have been previously raised by the appellant. VA would necessarily have the obligation to consider those causes sua sponte. In fact, sua sponte consideration of claims and theories is exactly what is required of VA as a result of VA’s duty to investigate all possible in-service causes of a condition as well as VA’s duty to read pro se pleadings — such as the appellant’s initial application for benefits — sympathetically. See Andrews v. Nicholson,
To be clear, VA’s duty to assist a claimant by investigating all possible in-service causes of a current disability is not absolutely limitless — it is an inquiry into what is possible. VA must consider factors such as the circumstances of service, the type of disability for which the claimant seeks benefits, and any evidence of record. Regulatory provisions already suggest circumstances in which VA is not obligated to provide assistance, for example, where the claimant is ineligible for the benefit sought because of “lack of qualifying service, lack of veteran status, or other lack of legal eligibility;” if the claim is “inherently incredible or clearly lack[s] merit;” or if the application requests a “benefit to which the claimant is not entitled as a matter of law.” 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(d)(l-3) (2007). There is no argument that Mr. Robinson’s application is not substantially complete, or that he lacks qualifying service, veteran status, or legal eligibility, or that his claim is inherently incredible, or that he is not entitled to benefits as a matter of law.
VA’s duty to assist the claimant is the cornerstone of the nonadversarial claims adjudication system the Agency is meant to operate. The Federal Circuit has explained the current nature of the duty to assist, contrasting it with its former incarnation:
On November 9, 2000, Congress enacted the VCAA [Veterans Claims Assistance Act], Pub.L. No. 106-475, 114 Stat. 2096 (codified in scattered sections of 38 U.S.C.), which “amend[ed] title 38, United States Code, to reaffirm and clarify the duty for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assist claimants for benefits under laws administered by the Secretary, and for other purposes.” Among other things, the VCAA removed the requirement of former § 5107(a) that a claimant first establish a well-grounded*560 claim before VA was to begin providing assistance. Further, it amended existing §§ 5102 and 5103 and added new §§ 5100 and 5103A, expanding VA’s duty to assist claimants in several respects. Specifically, new § 5103A(a) imposes on VA a duty to assist a claimant by making reasonable efforts to assist him or her in obtaining evidence necessary to substantiate a claim for benefits. 38 U.S.C. § 5103A(a). Further provisions outline the details of providing such assistance in obtaining information, evidence, and records from government and private sources; informing the claimant if VA is unable to obtain pertinent evidence; and providing a medical examination or medical opinion when necessary to resolve the claim.
Paralyzed Veterans of Am. v. Sec’y of Veterans Affairs,
The critical change in VA’s duty to assist wrought by the VCAA regards when the duty is triggered. The duty to assist is now triggered by VA’s receipt of a “substantially complete application for benefits,” 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(c) (2007), which means, for a case such as Mr. Robinson’s, an application “containing the claimant’s name ... sufficient service information for VA to verify the claimed service, if applicable; [and] the benefit claimed and any medical condition(s) on which it is based.” 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(a)(3) (2007).
In October 2001, the Board remanded Mr. Robinson’s claim “for compliance with the notice and duty to assist provisions contained in the [VCAA].” R. at 187. I cannot say why VA never considered the possibility of direct service connection in this case because it cannot be ascertained from the record why VA elected only to consider the claim on a secondary basis. The Board decision here on appeal provides very little guidance. After listing the various statutory and regulatory provisions governing the direct theory of service connection (R. at 8), the Board went on only to evaluate the case as a claim for benefits on a secondary basis, having concluded that “the veteran contends that [his current conditions] were caused or aggravated by service-connected peptic ulcer disease, rather than due directly to any incident of active service.” R. at 8. The Board did not provide a sufficient explanation of the reasons or bases for concluding that the appellant’s arguments were competent to limit VA’s development and adjudication of the case. See 38 U.S.C. § 7104(d)(1) (requiring the Board, in rendering its decision, to provide a written statement of the reasons or bases for its “findings and conclusions[ ] on all material issues of fact and law presented on the record”); see also Espiritu v. Derwinski,
Moreover, I disagree with the majority’s statement that the record is devoid of evidence relevant to the matter of direct service connection. See ante pp. 554-55. In his reply brief, responding to the Secretary’s argument that there is no evidence that he suffered an event, injury or disease in service related to his claimed disabilities (Secretary’s Br. at 14), he cites recurrent chest pain experienced during active duty (Reply Br. at 7 (citing R. at 36)), and notes that an August 1988 examination report “recorded that Mr. Robinson was having ‘irregular chest pains’ and was ‘see[ing] black dots in front of eyes (both eyes).’ ”
Additionally, and again pursuant to my view of Schroeder, presuming that VA has the obligation to investigate all possible in-service causes of a current disability, if it were possible that a claimant, by affirmative instruction to the Agency, could waive consideration of such development, I would not find that the appellant here has done so. See Janssen v. Principi,
I would find that remand is warranted in this case based on VA’s failure to comply with Schroeder, the Board’s failure to consider all applicable provisions of law, and the Board’s failure to provide an adequate statement of reasons or bases for its conclusion that YA properly assisted Mr. Robinson in developing his claim.
The majority also discusses the relationship between Maggitt v. West,
In Maggitt, the Federal Circuit held that this Court has discretion to hear arguments presented to it in the first instance, provided that the Court otherwise possesses jurisdiction over the claim. See
At issue in Sims was whether a Social Security claimant seeking judicial review of an administrative law judge’s decision waived court consideration of any issues that were not raised in her request for review by the Social Security Appeals Council. See id. at 105,
The laws and regulations governing veterans’ benefits do not require issue exhaustion. Although the Secretary asserts that 38 U.S.C. § 7105(d)(3) and 38 C.F.R. § 20.202 (2007) impose such a requirement, I disagree. First, the statute and regulation both use the permissive word “should” to encourage, but not require, the claimant to raise particular issues for review. See 38 U.S.C. § 7105(d)(3) (“The appeal should set out specific allegations of error of fact or law, such allegations related to specific items in the statement of the case.”); 38 C.F.R. § 20.202 (“The Substantive Appeal should set out specific arguments relating to errors of fact or law made by the agency of original jurisdiction in reaching the determination ... being appealed.... The Board will construe such arguments in a liberal manner for purposes of determining whether they raise such issues on appeal.”). The use of nonmandatory phrasing means that the statute and regulation do not impose an issue exhaustion requirement. See Douglas v. Derwinski,
Although the majority states that “the Court does not require that an issue be argued to the Board in order for it to be raised here,” ante p. 557, the majority goes on to state that “Sims does [not] allow an unsupported theory of entitlement to be raised at any time so as to entitle an appellant to a remand not based on error.” Id. As a result, the majority finds no reason to remand this ease for the Board to conduct any further development or adjudication of the appellant’s claim, which, in fact, imposes the issue exhaustion requirement that Sims prohibits. With the understanding that Sims precludes such a result regardless of the appellant’s failure to raise this argument below, I believe that the Court should exercise its discretion to remand this matter to the Agency for proper adjudication of the direct service connection theory in the first instance.
The majority relies, in part, on Bonhomme v. Nicholson,
There are several reasons not to rely on Bonhomme as the majority does. First, because it involves an application to reopen a claim, Bonhomme addresses only the question of what the Court may do when additional evidence is submitted after the Board denies an application to reopen, whereas in the instant case, the dispute is about the Agency’s treatment of the claim based on the evidence of record. The majority’s assertion that “[t]he logic of Bonhomme is only stronger in the situation where the appellant’s request for a ... remand is not even supported by new evidence,” ante p. 557, is fallacious; if the appellant were to offer new evidence in the instant case, the Court could not consider it in the first instance. Accordingly, remand is not less appropriate here because Mr. Robinson did not submit new evidence; it is more appropriate because he has asserted an error — or at least incompleteness — in VA’s review of the evidence of record. Second, Bonhomme explains what the submission of additional evidence in the application to reopen context does allow: “An appellant may submit new evidence to the Secretary while a claim is on appeal to this Court, but such evidence would constitute a new claim to reopen and would not entitle the appellant to an effective date based upon the date that the claim on appeal was received.” Bonhomme,
The effect of the majority’s reading of Mr. Robinson’s pleadings to the Court is that Mr. Robinson, notwithstanding his argument to the Court that the Board should have considered his claims on a direct basis and highlighting some evidence that was before the Board that may suggest the plausibility of his claims on that basis, ends up with an affirmed — and thus final — Board decision on his claim. This occurs even though the Board at no point addressed the possibility that he might prevail on his claim on any theory of entitlement other than secondary service connection. In order to challenge this determination, Mr. Robinson will have to present new and material evidence to reopen his claim, in which case — should he prevail — he will receive a much later effective date for his award. See Kent v. Nicholson,
I am alarmed by the majority’s decision, in concluding that this case need not be remanded for a Board decision in the first instance and in rejecting the appellant’s argument made to the Court, to accord such significance to the fact that the appellant was represented by an attorney during the appeal process. To be clear, I do not wish to condone or endorse actions by attorneys that may hamper their clients’ efforts to secure benefits, nor actions that hinder proper function of VA’s adjudicatory system. Nevertheless, neither the Secretary nor the majority cites any statutory or regulatory authority for the conclusion that represented appellants should be treated differently from their unrepresented counterparts in VA’s development of evidence. There is simply no basis in law to justify narrowing VA’s duty to assist with the development of claims, based on the majority’s artificial distinction between represented and unrepresented claimants. Absent congressional action to limit VA’s duty to assist in claims by represented veterans, I believe the Court acts today to impede “Congress’s clear desire to create a framework conducive to efficient claim adjudication” Sanders v. Nicholson,
The Court’s decision results in a perverse incentive for claimants to elect not to engage attorneys to represent them before the Agency, despite recent legislation permitting claimants to hire attorneys much
To summarize, I would hold that VA failed to fulfill its duty to assist as outlined in Sehroeder and the Court should remand this case for correction of this error. Alternatively, I believe this Court should, in its discretion and pursuant to Maggitt, remand the case for VA to consider the direct theory of service connection in the first instance.
. Although I would not impose a judicial issue exhaustion requirement, I note that the Federal Circuit has recognized that regulations impose a limited issue exhaustion requirement in the context of motions to revise based upon clear and unmistakable error. In Andrews, the Federal Circuit actually discussed Sims and distinguished it on the basis that 38 C.F.R. § 20.1404(b) imposes a "regulatory requirement for exhaustion.” Andrews,