UNITED STAT ES COURT OF AP P EALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS

No. 98-1410
K LA U S P. N EU MANN , A PP EL L ANT ,

V
. ANTHONY J. P RI NCI PI , S EC RE T A RY O F V ET ER A N S A FF A I RS , A PPEL L EE
.

Be fore KRAMER, Chief Judge , and F ARL EY and H OL DAWAY, J ud ge s. O R D E R
I n a panel opinion dated July 21, 2000, Ne um an n v . W

est , 14 Vet.App. 12 ( 2000), the Court aff irmed that par

t of the Jul y

15, 1998, decision of the B o ar d o f Ve t er an s' Appea ls (Boa rd) that de nie d th e a

pp e lla nt' s c la ims to e sta

bli shse rv ic e c onne c tio n f or c ub ita l tunn e l sy

nd ro me , a sk in disorder, a

nd a per ception or c oordination disorder. J udg ment was e ntere d on August 14, 2000. The appellant subseque ntly

perf ecte d an appe al to the United States Court of Appe als for the Fe dera l Circuit (Fe dera l Circuit). I n an orde r date d Fe bruar y 20, 2001, the Fe dera l Circuit remande d the appea l to this Court to c onsider the application of the rec ently enac ted Vete rans Claims Assistance Act of 2000 (VCAA) , Pub. L . No. 106-475, 114 Stat. 2096 (Nov. 9, 2000) . I n addition, the Fe dera l Circuit denied the appellant' s motion t o vaca te this Court's Jul y

2000 opinion with ins tructions for thi s Co ur t to re mand

his c la im t o the B oa

rd . T he F e de ra l Cir c uit

state d th a t it

wa s mo re a

pp ro pr iate for the a ppellant to reque st such relief from this Court on remand. Among other thing s, the VCAA eliminated the w ell-g rounded -cla im requireme nt and modified the S ecr etar

y ' s duties to notify and assist claimants. Se ege ne ra lly VC AA , § § 3 , 4 , 7 ; see also Holliday v. Principi, __ Vet.App. __, __, No. 99- 1788, slip op. at 6-9 (F eb. 22, 2001) ( holding all sections of VCAA a

re r etroa ctive). I

n Karnas v. Derwinski , 1 Ve t.A pp . 308 , 312 -1 3 ( 19 91 ), thi s Court he ld t hat w he re a

statut e or re g ulatio n c ha

ng e s d ur ingthe a

pp e llate pr oc e ss, un le ss C on g re ss has provided othe rwise, the version most fa vorable to the claimant shall apply

. I t is not the function of this Court to determine in the fi rs t i n s t an ce which ver sion of the law is most favora ble to the claimant. Se e Ba k

e r v . W est , 11 Ve t.A

pp . 1 63 (1 99 8) ; Du dn ic k

v . B ro wn , 10 Vet.App. 79 ( 1997). Thus , a re mand is re qu ir e d fo r the B oa

rd to make thi s de te rm inatio n. Ac c or din g ly , th e Court wi ll rec all the August 2000 judgment a nd will withdraw its J uly

21, 2000, opinion and issue this order in its st ead. On rema nd, the appe llant is free to submit additional evidenc e and a rg ument nece ssary

to the resolution of his claims. Kut sc he ro us k yv . W est , 12 Vet.App. 369, 372 (1999) (per c uriam orde r). The B oard sha ll procee d expeditious ly

. See Veter ans' Be nefits I mprovement Act, Pub. L . No. 103- 44 6, § 3 02 , 1 08 Stat. 4 64 5, 46 58 (1 99 4) (f ound at 38 U.S. C. § 510 1 n ote ) ( re qu ir ingSe c re tary to2

pr ov ide fo r " e xpe dit io us tr e a tme nt" of c la ims re mand e d b y

B oa rd or Cou rt ); Dr os k yv . B ro wn , 10 Vet.App. 251, 257 ( 1997). Up on c on sid e ratio n o f t

he fo re g oin g , it

is ORDERED that the August 14, 2000, judgment is re called. It is further ORDERED that the Court' s J uly 21, 2000, opinion is wit hdraw n. I t is further ORDERED that the Jul y 15, 1998, Boa

rd dec ision i s VA C ATED a nd the matters a

re REMANDED to the B oard f or re adjudication.
DA TE D: Ap ri l 2, 20 01 PER CU RI AM

.