Court Opinion

ID: 2793437
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-04-14 15:01:17.975894+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:13:59.618887
License: Public Domain

NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

  United States Court of Appeals
      for the Federal Circuit
                ______________________

                 ADAM K. VETTER,
                 Claimant-Appellant

                           v.

     ROBERT A. MCDONALD, SECRETARY OF
            VETERANS AFFAIRS,
               Respondent-Appellee
             ______________________

                      2014-7090
                ______________________

   Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims in No. 12-3070, Chief Judge Bruce E.
Kasold.
               ______________________

                Decided: April 14, 2015
                ______________________

    JEFFREY DANIEL SMYTH, Finnegan, Henderson,
Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, Palo Alto, CA, argued
for claimant-appellant. Also represented by JENNIFER
SWAN; RONALD LEE SMITH, Washington, DC.

    LOREN MISHA PREHEIM, Commercial Litigation
Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of
Justice, Washington, DC, argued for respondent-appellee.
Also represented by JOYCE R. BRANDA, ROBERT E.
KIRSCHMAN, JR., CLAUDIA BURKE; Y. KEN LEE, AMANDA
2                                      VETTER   v. MCDONALD

BLACKMON, Office of General Counsel, United States
Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC.
                ______________________

     Before CHEN, BRYSON, and HUGHES, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM.
    Adam K. Vetter appeals from the finding of the Unit-
ed States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Veterans
Court) that the record does not reasonably raise a claim
for 1) a total disability rating based on individual unem-
ployability (TDIU) under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b), and 2) a
disability rating based on the loss of use of his dominant
hand under 38 C.F.R. § 4.63, which would further entitle
Mr. Vetter to additional special monthly compensation
under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(k).
    Although Mr. Vetter attempts to frame the issue on
appeal as whether the Veterans Court correctly interpret-
ed the law and applied the correct legal standards, in
effect Mr. Vetter merely disagrees with the Veterans
Court’s application of 38 C.F.R. § 4.16 and 38 C.F.R.
§ 4.63 to find the record does not reasonably raise a claim
under those provisions. We do not have jurisdiction to
review the Veterans Court’s application of the law to the
facts of Mr. Vetter’s case unless it presents a constitu-
tional issue—which has not been alleged here. 38 U.S.C.
§ 7292(d)(2); Jackson v. Shinseki, 587 F.3d 1106, 1109
(Fed. Cir. 2009); cf. Livingston v. Derwinski, 959 F.2d 224,
225 (Fed. Cir. 1992) (“[T]he mere recitation of a basis for
jurisdiction by party or a court[] is not controlling; we
must look to the true nature of the action.”).
    Accordingly, we dismiss Mr. Vetter’s appeal for lack of
jurisdiction.
                      DISMISSED
                          COSTS
    No costs.