Horne v. Dept. Of Veterans Affairs

NOTE: This order is n0np1'ecedentia1. United States Court of AppeaIs for the FederaI Circuit HUBERT J. HORNE, Claimant-Appellan,t, V. ERIC K. SHINSEKI, SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, ` Resp0ndent-Appellee. 2010-7046 Appea1 from the United States C0urt of Appea1s for Veterans ClaimS in case n0. 09-20-42, Judge LaWrence B. Hagel. ON MOTION Before RA_DER, Chief Judge, LOUR1E and O’MALLEY, Cir- cuit Judges. RADER, Chief Judge. 0 R D E R HORNE V. DVA 2 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs moves to vacate the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for Veter- ans Claims and to remand for further proceedings. The appellant filed a notice of appeal with the Court of Veterans Claims more than 120 days after the Board of Veterans’ Appeals mailed its decision in his case. That court dismissed the appeal as untime1y, concluding that the 120-day appeal period established by 38 U.S.C. § 7266(a) for seeking review of Board of Veterans’ Appeals decisions is jurisdictional and not subject to equitable tolling The appellant sought this court’s review. This court stayed the briefing schedule in this appeal pending the United States Supreme Court’s review of our decision in Hen,ders0n v. Shin,seki, 589 F.3d 1201 (Fed. Cir. 2009) (en banc) (affirming Court of Appeals_for Vet- eranS Claims determination that period to appeal to that court is not subject to equitable tolling). In Heh.derson ex rel. Hen.cierson v. Shinseki, 131 S.Ct. 1197 (2011), the Supreme Court reversed this court’s decision and con- cluded that the 120-day deadline for filing an appeal with the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims does not have jurisdictional consequences. Because the Court of Ap- peals for Veterans Claims erred in concluding that the appeal deadline established by § 7266(a) is jurisdictional, we vacate the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims’ judgment and remand for further proceedings. Accordingly, IT ls 0RDERE1) THA'1‘: (1) The motion is granted The judgment is vacated and the case is remanded for further proceedings (2) All sides shall bear their own costs. !. q 3 oct M. Jacqueline Walther., Esq. Tara K. Hogan, Esq. HORNE V. DVA FoR THE CoUR'r Clerk lsi Jan Horbaly Date J an Horbaly 520 nm 25 2011 Issued As A Mandate: jj __ FI tI.S. COURT 0iFEPPEALS FOR mt FEnERAL macon HAY-2 5 2011 lAN HORBALY CLEHi