N OTE : This disposition is nonprecedential. 

# United States **Court of Appeals**  **for the Federal Circuit**

______________________ PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA, Petitioner

v.

SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, Respondent

______________________

2015

- 7080

______________________

Petition for review pursuant to 38 U.S.C. Section 502.

-------------------------------------------------------------
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES, Petitioners

v.

SECRETARY OF VETERAN S AFFAIRS, Respondent

______________________

2015

- 7081

______________________ Petition for review pursuant to 38 U.S.C. Section 502.PARALYZED VETERANS O F AMERICA v. VA 2

______________________

Decided: June 22, 2016

______________________

L INDA E. B LAUHUT , Paralyzed Veterans of America, Washington, DC, argued for petitioner in 2015

- 7080 . Also represented by J ENNIFER A NN Z AJAC

.

D ORIS H INES , Finnegan , Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP , argued for petitioners in 2015

- 7081. Also represented by L AUREN J. D REYER ; B ENJAMIN S CHLESINGER , Atlanta, GA

.

M ARTIN F. H OCKEY , J R

. , Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, argued for respondent in 2015

- 7080 . Also represented by B ENJAMIN C. M IZER , R OBERT E. K IRSCHMAN , J R .; D AVID J. B ARRANS , B RIAN D. G RIFFIN , Office of General Counsel, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC.

M ARTIN F. H OCKEY , J R ., Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, argued for respondent in 2015

- 7081 . Also represented by B ENJAMIN C. M IZER , R OBERT E. K IRSCHMAN , J R .; D AVID J. B ARRANS , B RIAN D. G RIFFIN , Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans A ffairs, Washington, DC

.

T HOMAS J OHN K NIFFEN , I, Law Office of Thomas J. Kniffen, New York, NY, for amicus curiae New York State Bar Association in 2015

- 7081 . Also represented by C HRISTINE K HALILI -B ORNA C LEMENS , Finkelste in & Par tners, LLP, Newburgh, NY

.

______________________

Before N EWMAN , O’M ALLEY , and C HEN , Circuit Judges.PARALYZED VETERANS OF AMERICA v. VA 3

N EWMAN , Circuit Judge.
The Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Disabled Veterans of America (collectively, Petitioners) challenge the validity of regulations in 38 C.F.R. parts 3, 19, and 20, requiring all claims and administrative appeals to orig inate on standard VA forms. See generally Standard Claims and Appeals Forms , 79 Fed. Reg. 67660 (Dep’t of Veterans Affairs Sept. 25, 2014).

In related petitions, 1 this question was heard and d ecided by a panel of this court. See Ve terans Justice Grp., LLC v. Sec’ y of Veterans Affairs , 818 F.3d 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2016) . We are bound by the decision of the prior panel, and similarly deny the requested relief.

DENIED

No costs.

1 Veterans Justice Grp

. , LLC v. Sec ’ y of Veterans Affairs (2015

- 7021), Nat ’ l Org

. of Veterans Advocates Inc., v. Sec ’ y of Veterans Affairs (2015

- 7025); and Am

. Legion v. Sec ’ y of Veterans Affairs (2015

- 7061)

. Th e Petitioners also challenge the regulations to the extent that they foreclose equitable tolling

. T his challenge is moot given the go vernment’s clarification at oral argument that the regul ations do not foreclose equitable tolling

. T he Petitioners’ challenge based on the statutory notice requirements under 38 U.S.C. § 5103 is also moot because the gover nment does not contend that notice on standard VA forms satisfies its statutory notice requirements in all cases

. For the same reasons, we do not decide the Petitioners’ request for a ruling that S ocial S ecurity regulations under 38 C.F.R. § 3.153 remain valid or that the VA be preclu ded from contacting represented veterans without invol ving their representatives.