Hinojosa v. Dept. Of Veterans Affairs

NOTE: This order is nonprecedential United States Court of AppeaIs for the Federal Circuit EDUARDO H. HINOJOSA, Claimant-Appellant, ~ V. ERIC K. SHINSEKI, SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, `° Resp0ndent-Appellee. 2010-7099 Appeal from the United States C0urt of Appea1s for Veterans C1airns in case n0. 10-258, Judge R0nald M. H01daway. ON MOTION Bef0re RADER, Chief Judge, LOURIE and O'MALLEY, Circu.it Judges. PER CURIAM. 0 R D E R HlNOJOSA 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 untimely, 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 Henderson v. Shinseki, 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 tol1ing). In Hénderson ex rel. HerLders0n u. Shin,seki, 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 C1aims 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 ORDERED THAT: (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. 3 HINOJOSA V. DVA F0R THE CoURT HA¥ 2 5 /s/ J an Horhaly Date J an Horbaly cc: Eduardo H. Hinojosa Tara K. Hogan, Esq. s20 Clerk Issued As A Mandate: 2 5 FlLED l.s. ccom or APPa\La ma rr-us FEo£RAL cmcurr l1AY 25 2011 lAN_HORBALY C|.Elil