Supreme Court to Rule on Filing Deadlines for Disability Claims
Case Could Change Eligibility Status of Past Veterans
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2010 -- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have left nearly 40,000 U.S. troops wounded, caused veterans' disability claims to spiral and now brought new urgency to a legal fight over deadlines for claims.
The Supreme Court on Monday will hear a case testing whether a veteran -- in this situation, from the Korean War with severe mental illness -- should be prevented from appealing a Department of Veterans Affairs denial of benefits if he missed a 120-day time limit for judicial review of the decision.
Advocacy groups that have joined the case say the dilemma for vets navigating the claims system is especially compelling today and the need for flexibility in filing deadlines even more important.
"We've seen, as you would expect, a spike in disability claims during wartime," says lawyer Gregory Garre, representing the National Organization of Veterans' Advocates. "In these conflicts we've also seen a rise in traumatic stress injuries, psychological injuries and other problems that would cause a veteran to miss a deadline for appeal."
"Disabled veterans are sometimes hospitalized for extended periods of time, beyond 120 days," adds William Mailander, general counsel for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. "They may not be getting their mail and may not even know that a decision has been made."
Department of Veterans Affairs lawyers counter that the 120-day deadline is set by federal statute and that it is up to Congress, not judges, to add any flexibility.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, a former Army chief of staff, has asked Congress to extend the 120-day time limit for appeals by another 120 days in certain cases meriting exception. The extension would not apply to past appeals, such as the one before the justices.
Monday's dispute arises against a larger backdrop. It also will test a 2007 Roberts Court ruling -- by a 5-4 vote along ideological lines -- that curtailed judges' ability to bend deadlines set by Congress. That case, involving a prisoner who missed an appeal deadline by days because of a judge's erroneous instruction, prompted dissenting liberals to say, "It is intolerable for the judicial system to treat people this way."
