Opinion ID: 580384
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Untimeliness Under Section 7266

Text: 4 This case raises an issue of statutory interpretation and is, thus, within the limited scope of review set forth in 38 U.S.C.A. § 7292(d) (West 1991). 1 See Livingston v. Derwinski, 959 F.2d 224, 225 (Fed.Cir.1992). 5 Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7266 (West 1991), Congress established, in mandatory terms, a time limitation for filing an appeal to the Court of Veterans Appeals. Section 7266(a) provides: 6 In order to obtain review by the Court of Veterans Appeals of a final decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, a person adversely affected by that action must file a notice of appeal with the Court. Any such notice must be filed within 120 days after the date on which notice of the [final] decision is mailed pursuant to section 7104(e) of this title. 7 Butler admittedly filed his first NOA more than 120 days after the Board's final decision on the merits was mailed. However, he argues that the Court of Veterans Appeals has leeway to determine whether or not there was good cause for his filing the NOA after the expiration of the allowable time period. Butler asserts his late filing was due to a combination of his psychiatric problems, lawyer problems and mail delays. 8 Courts created by statute have only that jurisdiction conferred upon them by statute. Finley v. United States, 490 U.S. 545, 547-48, 109 S.Ct. 2003, 2005-06, 104 L.Ed.2d 593 (1989); Christianson v. Colt Indus. Operating Corp., 486 U.S. 800, 818, 108 S.Ct. 2166, 2178-79, 100 L.Ed.2d 811 (1988). The 120-day limitation imposed by Congress limits the jurisdiction of the Court of Veterans Appeals to hear appeals from the Board of Veterans' Appeals. See Placeway Constr. Corp. v. United States, 713 F.2d 726, 728 (Fed.Cir.1983) (similar Congressional time limitation defines the jurisdiction of this court to hear appeals from the various boards of contract appeals). Section 7266 makes compliance with the 120-day limit a prerequisite to Court of Veterans Appeals review and does not authorize the court to extend that time. Machado v. Derwinski, 928 F.2d 389, 391 (Fed.Cir.1991). Butler seeks to circumvent explicit Congressional language by asking the Court of Veterans Appeals to extend the legislatively mandated 120-day time period upon a showing of good cause. However, the Court of Veterans Appeals simply cannot evade Congress's limitation upon its jurisdiction by furnishing an extension which Congress has not empowered it to provide. 9 Although often effecting a seemingly harsh result, courts cannot disregard jurisdictional requirements established by Congress out of sympathy for particular litigants. Baldwin County Welcome Center v. Brown, 466 U.S. 147, 152, 104 S.Ct. 1723, 1726, 80 L.Ed.2d 196 (1984). See also Mohasco Corp. v. Silver, 447 U.S. 807, 826, 100 S.Ct. 2486, 2497, 65 L.Ed.2d 532 (1980) ([I]n the long run, experience teaches that strict adherence to the procedural requirements specified by the legislature is the best guarantee of evenhanded administration of the law.). Accordingly, we hold that section 7266(a) does not allow an extension of time upon a showing of good cause. We therefore do not reach the issue of whether the factors asserted by Butler constitute good cause.