UNITE D STATES COURT OF A PPEALS FO R VETE RANS C LAI MS

N O
. 98- 295
T HO M AS J. K U Z MA , A P P E L L A NT ,

V
. ANTHONY J. P RI NCI PI , S EC RET AR

Y O F V ETERA NS A FF AI RS , A PPELLEE
.

B e fo re K R

A M E R , Chie f Judge , a n d F A R L E Y , H O L D A W A Y , I V E R S , S T E I N B E R G , a n d G R E E N E , Ju dge s .

O R D E R
O n F ebr uar

y 17, 1998, the appel l ant appe al ed pr o se an O ct ober 17, 1997, deci si on of th e B oard o f

V et eran s' A ppe als (B V A ) th at de n ied a rat ing ab ov e 5 0% f or post - t r au m at ic str ess di s or de r and dy s thy m i c di s or de r . O n A pr i l 29 , 19 98 , K ennet h M

. C ar pe nt er , Esq

. , f i l ed a not i c e o f ap pe ar anc e o n beha l f

of the a pp el l ant
. I n an O c t obe r 16 , 200 0, m emor and um deci si on, the C our t

af f i r m ed the B V A deci si on, and the C our t ' s j udgm ent w as ent er ed on N ov ember 7, 200 0.
B ef or e the C our t ' s O ct ober 2000 d eci si on b eca m e f i nal, C ongre ss enact ed the V e t e r a ns C laim s A ssis t an ce A ct o f 2 0 0 0 , P u b

. L

. N o . 1 0 6 -47 5 , 1 1 4 S t at. 20 9 6 (N o v . 9 , 2 0 0 0 ) (V C A A ). Th e V C A A , i nt er al i a, am ended 38 U

. S. C

. § 5 1 0 3 ("N ot i ce t o cl ai m ant s of r equi r ed i n f o r ma t i o n a n d e v i d e n c e " ) a n d a d d e d 3 8 U. S

. C. § 5 1 0 3 A ( " Du t y t o a s s i s t c l a i ma n t s " )

. VCAA § 3 (a). On Novembe r 13, 2000, the Court, in In Re: Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 , 15 Vet.App. 27 ( 2000) (e n banc order) (Misc. Order No. 4-00), invit ed the filing of a mot ion or other paper by any party to an appe al as to the impac t of the VCAA on the disposition of that appe al. On November 15, 2000, the Court, pur suant to Misc. Orde r No. 4-00, rec alled the November 7, 2000, judgme nt and m ailed a copy of Mi sc. Order No. 4-00 t o the appe llant. O n D ec em b er 4 , 2 0 0 0 , th is
ca se w as su b m it

t ed t o a p an el for d ec isio n . On August 31, 2001, the Court issued an orde r that
resc inded Misc. Orde r No. 4-00, e ffe ctive two we eks later , on September 14, 2001, and specif ied that "th e ful l ap pl icabi li ty

of th e Co urt 's rul es to all case s" was then "rein st ate [ d] ." In Re: Rescission of Misc. No. 4-00, In Re: Veterans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 , U.S. Vet. App. Misc. Or der N o. 6-01 (Aug . 31, 2001) (e n banc or der) (Misc. Orde r No. 6-0 1 ). T h e C o u rt notes that it sent to the appellant' s counsel an elec tronic copy of Misc. Orde r No. 6-01 at the time that that orde r wa s issued. A s o f S e p te m b e r 1 4 , 2 0 0 1 , ne ith e r part y in thi s ca se ha d fil e d a motio n or o the r p a pe r p ur su ant t o Misc. Orde r 4-00.
O n Nov e m be r 5, 20 01 , the a p p e l l a nt , thr o ug h c o un s e l , s ub m i tt e d a m o t i o n, p ur s ua nt t o Rul e 2 7 of

the Cour t ' s Rul es of Pr ac t i c e and Pr oc ed ur e ( Rul es ) , t o va c ate t he O c t obe r 199 7 B V A deci si on an d r em and the m at t er pur suant

t o H o l l id a yv . Pr incipi , 14 Vet

. A pp . 280 , 2902

( 200 1) ( r emandi ng r ati ng- i ncr ea s e c l ai m f or r ea dj udi c ati on due t o ena c t m ent of V C A A )

. The C o u rt n o t es th at t

h at m o t ion d o es n o t co n form t o Ru le 27 (a)(4 )(A ) an d (B ) (pro v id in g th at, if

a p p e ll a n t is re p re s e n te d , motion mus t describe st ep s t aken to c ontact Secr etar y to determine wh e the r m oti on

is op po se d, mus t ind ic ate wh e the r mot ion is op po se d and , if op po se d, mus t in dic ate whether response will be filed)

. M o r e o v e r , th e a p p e l l a n t ' s f i l i n g o f h i s mo t i o n t o v a c a t e th e BV A deci si on m ay have been u n r eas onablydel ay ed, gi ven that i t w as subm i tt ed t o the C our t on Nov e mb e r 5 , 2 0 0 1 , a l mo s t o n e y e a r a f t e r th e No v e mb e r 2 0 0 0 e n a c t me n t o f th e V CA A and i ss uance of

M i sc . O r der N o. 4- 00; m or e t han ei ght m ont hs af t er the C our t

i ss ued i t s opi nion i n Hollid ay , supra ; and al m o st tw o m ont hs af t er the r esc i ss i on of

M i sc . O r der 4- 00 by M i sc . O r de r 6- 01.
O n D ecem ber 7, 2001, the Secr et ar y subm i tt ed a m ot i on f

or l eave to f

i l e out of t i m e a m ot i on f or an e xt ens i on of t i m e t o r es po nd t o the ap pe l l ant ' s m ot i on. O n tha t s ame da t e, the Secr et ar y al so s ubm i tt ed a m ot i on f or an ext en sio n o f ti m e u nt i l J anuar y 7, 2002, t o f

i l e a resp o n se . O n Jan u ary 4 , 2 0 0 2 , th e S ec retary s u b m it t ed a m o t ion for an ex t en sio n o f tim e u n t il Fe br ua r y 8, 200 2, t o f

i l e a r es po nse . O n J anua r y 31, 200 2, the Cour t

r ev ok ed the D ec ember 4, 2 0 0 0 , o rde r su b m it

t in g th is ca se t o a p an el a n d o rde red th at th e m att er p roc ee d b efo re the full C our t
. O n Feb r ua r

y 8, 200 2, the S ec r et ar

y s ubmi tt ed a r es po nse t o t he a pp el l ant ' s N ov ember 5, 20 01 , m o t i o n.
U po n co n sid era t ion o f t h e fo reg o in g , it

is
O RD ERED tha t , no t l a t e r tha n 3 0 d a y s a f t e r the d a t e o f

thi s o r d e r , the a p p e l l a nt

f i l e , a nd
ser ve on the Secr et ar

y , a r esp onse t o this or der that expl ai ns w hy t

he C our t , i n t he exer ci se of i t s di s c r et i on, s hou l d not r ej ec t f or f i l i ng, due t o unr ea s ona ble d el ay , the mot i on tha t the appe l l ant subm i tt ed on N ovem ber 5, 2001. I t i s f ur ther
O RD ER ED tha t , not

l atertha n 30 day s af

t er servi ce of

the a pp el l ant ' s r es po nse , the S ec retary m ay fi le, a n d se rve o n th e a pp ella n t , a re ply to th e a pp ella n t ' s res po n se t o th is o rde r. I t i s f ur ther
O R D E R E D that

the Secr et ar

y ' s thr ee m ot i ons ar e h el d i n abey ance pending f ur ther or der
o f th e C o u rt.
DA T E D: F e b r u a r

y 1 5 , 2 0 0 2 P E R C U R I A M.