Court Opinion

ID: 9956156
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-01 13:01:18.331067+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:15:16.129460
License: Public Domain

Case: 22-1887    Document: 46     Page: 1   Filed: 03/25/2024

        NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

   United States Court of Appeals
       for the Federal Circuit
                  ______________________

                ALLEN GUMPENBERGER,
                   Claimant-Appellant

                             v.

       DENIS MCDONOUGH, SECRETARY OF
              VETERANS AFFAIRS,
               Respondent-Appellee
              ______________________

                        2022-1887
                  ______________________

    Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for
 Veterans Claims in No. 20-4155, Judge Grant Jaquith,
 Judge Joseph L. Falvey, Jr, Judge Michael P. Allen.
                 ______________________

                 Decided: March 25, 2024
                 ______________________

    KENNETH M. CARPENTER, Law Offices of Carpenter
 Chartered, Topeka, KS, argued for claimant-appellant.

     BRITTNEY M. WELCH, Commercial Litigation Branch,
 Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Wash-
 ington, DC, argued for respondent-appellee. Also repre-
 sented by BRIAN M. BOYNTON, ELIZABETH MARIE HOSFORD,
 BORISLAV KUSHNIR, PATRICIA M. MCCARTHY; SHEKEBA
 MORRAD, CHRISTA A. SHRIBER, Office of General Counsel,
Case: 22-1887     Document: 46     Page: 2    Filed: 03/25/2024

 2                             GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH

 United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Washing-
 ton, DC.
                 ______________________

      Before PROST, STOLL, and STARK, Circuit Judges.
 STOLL, Circuit Judge.
     This case is about attorney or agent fees. Allen
 Gumpenberger, an agent, seeks fees for his representation
 of veteran Arturo Valadez. Specifically, Mr. Gumpen-
 berger seeks fees for past-due benefits the Department of
 Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded Mr. Valadez for his trau-
 matic brain injury (TBI). The Board of Veterans’ Appeals
 denied Mr. Gumpenberger’s request for fees under
 38 U.S.C. § 5904(c)(1) (2012) and the United States Court
 of Appeals for Veterans Claims affirmed. Gumpenberger
 v. McDonough, 35 Vet. App. 195 (2022) (Decision). We
 agree with the Veterans Court’s interpretation of the fee
 statute, and thus affirm.
                         BACKGROUND
     Mr. Valadez served honorably in the United States Ma-
 rine Corps and has received VA benefits for many condi-
 tions related to his service. In June 2010, Mr. Valadez and
 Mr. Gumpenberger entered into a fee agreement of “20 per-
 cent of all past due benefits awarded to [Mr. Valadez] as a
 result of winning [his] appeal.” J.A. 30. This agreement
 “relates to any and all services provided on [Mr. Valadez’s]
 behalf . . . with respect to an appeal . . . where a notice of
 disagreement was filed.” Id.
     In July 2010, Mr. Gumpenberger filed the fee agree-
 ment with the VA and sought to establish service connec-
 tion for TBI and entitlement to individual unemployability
 (TDIU) for Mr. Valadez. In April 2013, a VA regional office
 (RO) issued a rating decision granting Mr. Valadez a 70%
 disability rating for TBI, as well as several TBI residuals,
 and denying entitlement to TDIU. The RO denied TDIU
 because Mr. Valadez was “considered capable of obtaining
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 GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH                                3

 and maintaining gainful employment.”          J.A. 53.   In
 May 2013, the RO sent Mr. Valadez a letter confirming the
 70% disability rating for his service-connected TBI, grant-
 ing service connection for other conditions like migraine
 headaches, and denying service connection for his acquired
 psychiatric disorder to include major depressive disorder
 and depression with alcohol dependence.
     Mr. Gumpenberger then filed a notice of disagreement
 (NOD) for Mr. Valadez to appeal the denial of (1) entitle-
 ment to TDIU and (2) service connection for acquired psy-
 chiatric condition. In August 2014, the RO issued a
 statement of the case listing TDIU and the service connec-
 tion for acquired psychiatric condition as the only two is-
 sues on appeal. In October 2014, Mr. Gumpenberger
 completed Mr. Valadez’s appeal by filing a VA Form 9.
 Then, in December 2015, Mr. Gumpenberger wrote to the
 VA that Mr. Valadez is “seeking entitlement to [TDIU]
 from July 27, 2010, to resolve all issues on appeal.”
 J.A. 111. And because “the symptoms of psychiatric im-
 pairments greatly overlap symptoms of TBI, at this point
 [Mr. Gumpenberger is] withdrawing that issue from ap-
 peal.” J.A. 111.
     About seven months later, in July 2016, the VA in-
 formed Mr. Valadez, cc’ing Mr. Gumpenberger, that it was
 conducting a special review of TBI examinations in support
 of disability compensation claims for TBI. “This review re-
 vealed a number of initial TBI exams that were not con-
 ducted by a neurologist, psychiatrist, physiatrist, or
 neurosurgeon,” including Mr. Valadez’s initial TBI exam.
 J.A. 112. The VA therefore offered Mr. Valadez the option
 of undergoing a new TBI exam by an appropriate specialist.
 Under this option, the VA could reprocess Mr. Valadez’s
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 4                            GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH

 prior TBI claim. Mr. Valadez requested reprocessing un-
 der the VA’s special TBI review. 1
     Subsequently, in September 2016, the VA assigned a
 100% schedular evaluation for Mr. Valadez’s TBI effective
 from July 27, 2010. The VA also granted Mr. Valadez spe-
 cial monthly compensation based on housebound criteria
 and eligibility to Dependents’ Educational Assistance, ef-
 fective from July 27, 2010. The evidence the VA considered
 was: (1) a VA 21-0820 Report of General Information, re-
 ceived on July 26, 2016; (2) a VA letter concerning
 Mr. Valadez’s exam, dated July 29, 2016; and (3) a DBQ
 NEURO TBI Initial, received on August 16, 2016.
     Mr. Gumpenberger sought fees from the Septem-
 ber 2016 rating decision that increased TBI rating from
 70% to 100%.       The RO denied fees, noting that
 Mr. Gumpenberger specifically withdrew TBI from
 Mr. Valadez’s appeal and that Mr. Valadez’s TBI claim was
 reprocessed per Secretary of Veterans Affairs authority to
 reward equitable relief. 2 The RO reasoned that the

     1   In the briefing before our court, Mr. Gumpenberger
 states that he requested reprocessing of Mr. Valadez’s
 claim under the special TBI review. Appellant’s Br. 4 (cit-
 ing J.A. 114). The Veterans Court and Board, however, de-
 scribe the veteran as responding to the VA’s letter. J.A. 3
 (Veterans Court), 175 (Board). Also, during oral argument
 before the Veterans Court, Mr. Gumpenberger’s attorney
 could not point to anything that Mr. Gumpenberger did to
 assist Mr. Valadez in obtaining an increase in schedular
 rating for TBI. We recite the facts as stated by the Veter-
 ans Court.
     2   The Veterans Court recognized that Mr. Gumpen-
 berger “expressly withdrew the issue of the veteran’s psy-
 chiatric claim from the appeal, not TBI, which
 [Mr. Gumpenberger] did not include in his NOD.” Deci-
 sion, 35 Vet. App. at 200 n.15 (emphasis added).
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 GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH                                 5

 “resultant favorable decision [was] not due to an appeal, so
 direct payment of fees [was] denied.”              J.A. 136.
 Mr. Gumpenberger filed a NOD, explaining that the VA
 misinterpreted his withdrawal letter and that the issue of
 an increase in evaluation to total was still on appeal. The
 RO issued a statement of the case, continuing to deny enti-
 tlement to a fee. Mr. Gumpenberger then appealed to the
 Board.
     The Board concluded that fees were not warranted.
 The Board reasoned that no NOD was filed for TBI, the
 evaluation for TBI was “based on the VA’s own internal re-
 view of TBI examinations,” and a grant of a 100 % for TBI
 is not the same as a grant of TDIU in this case, which was
 what was sought in the NOD. J.A. 176. Mr. Gumpen-
 berger then appealed to the Veterans Court.
      The Veterans Court affirmed the Board’s decision. De-
 cision, 35 Vet. App. at 199. The court began by recognizing
 that both parties agree 38 U.S.C. § 5904(c)(1) (2012) ap-
 plies. Id. at 203. That statute states:
    (c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (4), in con-
    nection with a proceeding before the Department
    with respect to benefits under laws administered
    by the Secretary, a fee may not be charged, al-
    lowed, or paid for services of agents and attorneys
    with respect to services provided before the date on
    which a notice of disagreement is filed with respect
    to the case. The limitation in the preceding sen-
    tence does not apply to fees charged, allowed, or
    paid for services provided with respect to proceed-
    ings before a court.
 § 5904(c)(1) (2012) (emphases added). The Veterans Court
 analyzed the scope of a NOD under 38 U.S.C. § 7105 and
 38 C.F.R. § 20.201, general provisions governing NODs, be-
 fore turning to 38 U.S.C. § 5904(c)(1) and the phrase “with
 respect to the case.” Decision, 35 Vet. App. at 203–11.
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 6                             GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH

     In interpreting 38 U.S.C. § 5904(c)(1), the Veterans
 Court acknowledged that it was “not writing on a blank
 slate.” Id. at 208. It relied on a Veterans Court case, Cam-
 eron v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 109 (2012), aff’d,
 561 F. App’x 922 (Fed. Cir. 2014), as well as Carpenter
 v. Nicholson, 452 F.3d 1379 (Fed. Cir. 2006) and Jackson
 v. Shinseki, 587 F.3d 1106 (Fed. Cir. 2009). Decision,
 35 Vet. App. at 208–09. The Veterans Court held that, in
 this matter, the schedular rating for TBI and TDIU are
 separate cases. The NOD Mr. Gumpenberger filed defined
 the “case” and, here, the award of a 100% schedular rating
 for TBI—which was the result of the VA’s independent re-
 view of TBI cases—was not related to the development of
 the appeal for TDIU. Id. at 209–11. Additionally, the Vet-
 erans Court “cannot help but note that [Mr. Gumpen-
 berger] fails to establish what, if any, services he provided
 as it relates to the award of the veteran’s TBI schedular
 rating.” Id. at 211.
     Mr. Gumpenberger appeals. We have jurisdiction un-
 der 38 U.S.C. § 7292(a),(c).
                         DISCUSSION
     Our review is limited by statute. We may only review
 decisions of the Veterans Court related to the interpreta-
 tion of constitutional and statutory provisions. 38 U.S.C.
 § 7292(c). Unless a constitutional issue is presented, we
 lack jurisdiction to review questions of fact or the applica-
 tion of law to fact. Id. § 7292(d)(2). We review legal deter-
 minations of the Veterans Court de novo. Blubaugh
 v. McDonald, 773 F.3d 1310, 1312 (Fed. Cir. 2014).
      The sole issue raised by Mr. Gumpenberger on appeal
 is whether the Veterans Court erred in its interpretation of
 the phrase “the case” in 38 U.S.C. § 5904(c)(1) (2012). Spe-
 cifically, whether the Veterans Court erred in interpreting
 § 5904(c)(1) when it decided that Mr. Gumpenberger is not
 entitled to fees for Mr. Valadez’s increased schedular rat-
 ing of TBI because the NOD he filed did not encompass a
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 GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH                                   7

 TBI rating claim and thus the TBI rating claim was not
 part of “the case.” We hold that the Veterans Court did not
 err.
     We begin with a brief history of restrictions on agents’
 and attorneys’ fees for VA benefits claims, as well as our
 caselaw. “Congress has thrice changed the triggering
 event for when attorneys’ fees may be charged, each time
 shifting the entry point for such fees—and thus a claim-
 ant’s ability to retain paid representation—earlier in the
 administrative appeals process.” Mil.-Veterans Advoc.
 (MVA) v. Sec’y of Veterans Affs., 7 F.4th 1110, 1135
 (Fed. Cir. 2021). Section 5904(c)(1)’s predecessor permit-
 ted attorneys’ fees only after a Board made a final decision
 in the case. See id. (citing 38 U.S.C. § 3404(c)(1) (1988)).
 In this way, the statute “intended to ‘preserve the non-ad-
 versarial initial benefits process, while providing the vet-
 eran with the assistance of an attorney when that process
 has failed and the veteran is faced with the complexities of
 appealing, reopening, and/or correcting prior adverse deci-
 sions.’” Id. at 1135–36 (quoting Carpenter, 452 F.3d
 at 1383).
     In 2006, Congress amended § 5904(c)(1) to shift the
 triggering event from a final Board decision to filing a
 NOD. See § 5904(c)(1) (2006). Thus, the amended statute
 expanded a claimant’s ability to retain representation of an
 unsatisfactory initial decision by the RO.          See 152
 Cong. Rec. H8981, at H9018 (2006) (Rep. Miller) (“Unfor-
 tunately, the claims process has become very complex and
 can be very overwhelming to some claimants. This provi-
 sion would give veterans the option of hiring an attorney
 earlier in the process if the veterans believe they need as-
 sistance with their claim.”).
      Later, Congress shifted the triggering event for
 § 5904(c)(1) to allow paid representation after a claimant
 receives “notice of the agency of original jurisdiction’s ini-
 tial decision.” See § 5904(c)(1) (2017). We have acknowl-
 edged that such “shift was part of a continuing
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 8                               GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH

 congressional effort to enlarge the scope of activities for
 which attorneys can receive compensation for assisting vet-
 erans.” MVA, 7 F.4th at 1136.
     At issue here is the 2012 version of § 5904(c)(1) which
 specifies the filing of a NOD as the triggering event for
 when fees may thereafter be awarded. Our caselaw on
 § 5904(c)(1)’s predecessor—which has a later triggering
 event in the claims process—guides our understanding of
 the statutory language at issue here.
      In Carpenter, we addressed the meaning of the “in the
 case” in the context of the pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1). The VA
 originally awarded the veteran there 100% disability rat-
 ing for service-connected thrombophlebitis. Carpenter,
 452 F.3d at 1380. Later, the RO reduced the disability rat-
 ing and the veteran sought to reestablish the total disabil-
 ity rating on the ground that his condition prevented him
 from obtaining employment, i.e., he sought TDIU. Id. In
 1990, after various proceedings, the Board denied the vet-
 eran’s request and he sought representation by counsel,
 Mr. Kenneth M. Carpenter. Id. at 1380–81. Mr. Carpen-
 ter appealed the 1990 Board’s decision to the Veterans
 Court which vacated the Board’s decision for error. Id.
 at 1381. In 1993, on remand, the Board awarded the vet-
 eran 100% disability rating, but the RO assigned a later
 effective date. Id. Mr. Carpenter raised the issue of the
 effective date, eventually appealing the issue to the Board.
 Id. The Board accepted Mr. Carpenter’s position such that
 the veteran obtained the 100% disability rate retroactive to
 and continuous from the initial, earlier effective date. Id.
 The veteran obtained complete relief. Id.
     With respect to attorney’s fees, the Board informed
 Mr. Carpenter that he was not entitled to a fee for services
 performed prior to the later, 1993 Board decision establish-
 ing the earlier effective date as that was the “first . . . final
 decision in the case.” Id. at 1381–82. The Veterans Court
 agreed, rejecting the position that the “case” began when
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 GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH                                   9

 the earlier, 1990 Board denied the veteran’s claim for 100%
 disability. We reversed.
     Specifically, we clarified that a veteran’s claim based
 on a specific disability does not become a different “case” at
 each stage of what are often lengthy and complex proceed-
 ings at the VA. Id. at 1384. We explained that “the degree
 of disability and the effective date of disability were issues
 within the same case, for the claim for benefits includes the
 issues emanating from the disability or injury that led to
 the claim.” Id. Thus, the claim for an earlier effective date
 was part of the same “case” seeking the increased disability
 rating. Id.
      A few years later, in Jackson, we again addressed the
 interpretation of “in the case” in pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1). The
 VA there granted the veteran a 40% rating for a lower back
 disorder and denied a supplemental claim seeking an in-
 creased rating and a new disability rating for a cervical
 spine disorder. Jackson, 587 F.3d at 1107–08. In 2000, af-
 ter the Board rejected the veteran’s requests, the veteran
 hired Mr. Francis M. Jackson to represent him. Id.
 at 1108. Mr. Jackson appealed to the Veterans Court,
 which vacated and remanded the Board’s opinion. On a
 subsequent remand, the veteran filed a separate claim for
 depressive disorder, which the RO eventually granted, as-
 signing a 30% disability rating. Id. Mr. Jackson then in-
 quired about qualifying for TDIU based on the depressive
 disorder. Id. The RO granted TDIU and Mr. Jackson
 sought fees for past-due benefits relating to TDIU. Id. The
 RO informed Mr. Jackson he was ineligible for those fees
 because the TDIU issue was not subject to a final Board
 decision, as required in § 5904(c). Id. The Board affirmed
 the RO’s decision, noting that at the time of the 2000 Board
 decision (the triggering event) the evidence of record did
 not support a finding of unemployability, a necessary ele-
 ment of TDIU. Id. The Veterans Court affirmed. We did
 too.
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 10                              GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH

      In Jackson, we stated: “This court has explained that
 a ‘case’ within the meaning of Section 5904(c) encompasses
 ‘all potential claims raised by the evidence, applying all rel-
 evant laws and regulations, regardless of whether the
 claim is specifically labeled . . . .’” Id. at 1109 (quoting Rob-
 erson v. Principi, 251 F.3d 1378, 1384 (Fed. Cir. 2001)). We
 explained that a TDIU claim may, under certain circum-
 stances, necessarily encompass a veteran’s claim for in-
 creased benefits even when not expressly raised. Id. But
 those circumstances were not present there. Because there
 was no evidence of unemployability before the Board’s 2000
 decision, i.e., no evidence to support a necessary part of a
 TDIU claim, TDIU was not part of the “case” at the time of
 the 2000 Board decision. Id. at 1109–10.
     With that backdrop, we return to the statute at issue
 here, § 5904(c)(1) (2012). Unlike the pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1)
 statute—for which the triggering event is “the date on
 which the [Board] first makes a final decision in the case”—
 the triggering event for the statute here is “the date on
 which a [NOD] is filed with respect to the case.” The trig-
 gering event changed, but our understanding of what con-
 stitutes “the case” has not. Both parties seem to agree that
 we could adopt the interpretations of the phrase “the case”
 in our pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1) caselaw. 3 We agree and see no

      3   Mr. Gumpenberger refers to his interpretation of
 the “case” as consistent with the definition that encom-
 passes “all potential claims raised by the evidence, apply-
 ing all relevant laws and regulations, regardless of
 whether the claim is specifically labeled.” Appellant’s
 Br. 22 (quoting Carpenter, 452 F.3d at 1384). The govern-
 ment cites the same definition of a “case” in its briefing but
 as quoted in Jackson. Appellee’s Br. 15 (citing Jackson,
 587 F.3d at 1109); see also Oral Arg. at 19:10–19:38,
 https://oralarguments.cafc.uscourts.gov/default.aspx?fl=2
 2-1887_03062024.mp3 (government attorney stating that
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 GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH                                 11

 reason to depart from our prior interpretation of “the case”
 given the similarities between pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1) and
 the version of the statute at issue. Thus, the issue before
 us is whether the Veterans Court’s interpretation of
 § 5904(c)(1) (2012) is consistent with our caselaw interpret-
 ing “the case” for pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1). Mr. Gumpen-
 berger argues that the Veterans Court misinterpreted the
 statute “because the Veterans Court essentially abandoned
 the claimed understanding of the definition of the phrase
 ‘with respect to the case.’” Appellant’s Br. 24. We disagree.
     The Veterans Court began its discussion of the mean-
 ing of “with respect to the case” in § 5904(c)(1) (2012) by
 recognizing that precedent provides context for how to in-
 terpret “the case.” Decision, 35 Vet. App. at 208. The Vet-
 erans Court recognized, for example, that its decision in
 Cameron held that “the case” would include “all potential
 claims raised by the evidence during the processing of the
 claim in question.” Id. at 208–09 (quoting Cameron, 26
 Vet. App. at 115). The Veterans Court also considered both
 Carpenter and Jackson. The Veterans Court also found
 that “the 100% schedular rating for TBI was the result of
 VA’s independent review of TBI cases and had nothing to
 do with the appeal of TDIU.” Id. at 209–10. We lack juris-
 diction to review this fact finding on appeal; nor have we
 been asked to review this fact finding.
     We read the Veterans Court as following the interpre-
 tation of “the case” as set forth in Jackson. In Jackson, the
 necessary evidence for TDIU (the claim the attorney sought
 fees for) was missing at the time of the trigger event (the
 Board decision), meaning TDIU was not raised by the evi-
 dence at the time that the increased benefits claim was
 raised to the Board. Thus, TDIU was not part of “the case”
 in Jackson. So too here: the VA’s independent review of

 our court could adopt the definition of the “case” as used in
 Jackson).
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 12                            GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH

 TBI cases and resultant new medical examination evidence
 (which resulted in an increased schedular rating for TBI)
 was missing at the time of the triggering event, the filing
 of the NOD. See Decision, 35 Vet. App. at 209–10 (“[T]he
 100% schedular rating for TBI was the result of VA’s inde-
 pendent review of TBI cases and had nothing to do with the
 appeal of TDIU.”); J.A. 115–22 (listing evidence the VA
 considered in the RO decision increasing the schedular rat-
 ing of TBI, including a “DBQ NEURO TBI Initial” received
 in 2016). The increased schedular TBI rating was there-
 fore not raised by the evidence at the time of the NOD and
 thus not part of “the case” for which Mr. Gumpenberger
 could be entitled to fees.
     We recognize that while both parties encourage us to
 adopt the same interpretation of “the case” for the 2012
 version of the fee statute as in our precedent. But each
 party nonetheless interprets “the case” and our caselaw dif-
 ferently.
     Mr. Gumpenberger argues that there need only be
 “some connection” between the increased rating for TBI
 and entitlement to TDIU for the claims to be part of the
 same “case.” Appellant’s Br. 24–25. Here, Mr. Gumpen-
 berger argues “some connection” exists because both an in-
 crease in TBI and entitlement to TDIU result in the same
 amount of compensation for Mr. Valadez. Id. This is not
 consistent with the interpretation of “the case” in our prec-
 edent. For example, in Jackson, we acknowledged that the
 TDIU claim was “directly related to and stemmed from” the
 veteran’s service connection claim, meaning there was
 some connection. Jackson, 587 F.3d at 1110. But we held,
 “[n]otwithstanding that fact,” Mr. Jackson was not entitled
 to attorney’s fees for the TDIU claim. Id.
     For its part, the government argues that whether two
 claims are part of “the case” depends on the claims’ eviden-
 tiary requirements. Appellee’s Br. 15. But Jackson fore-
 closed this argument. In Jackson we explained that “a
 TDIU claim may under certain circumstances necessarily
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 GUMPENBERGER v. MCDONOUGH                                13

 be encompassed in a veteran’s claim for increased benefits
 despite not being expressly raised,” but the circumstances
 there—with no evidence of a necessary component for
 TDIU—extinguished such possibility. Jackson, 587 F.3d
 at 1109–10 (emphasis added). The VA denied Mr. Jackson
 fees for the TDIU claim not because TDIU and the claim
 for increased benefits have different evidentiary stand-
 ards, but because the evidence required for a TDIU claim
 was not present at the time of the triggering event. See id.
 at 1111 (“Because no evidence of [the veteran]’s unemploy-
 ability was submitted before the Board’s July 2000 deci-
 sion[, the triggering event], the ‘case’ before the Board at
 that time did not include a claim for TDIU benefits and
 thus was not a compensable fee under Section 5904(c).”).
     We address the parties’ interpretations of “the case”
 and understanding of our caselaw to make clear that we do
 not read the Veterans Court’s opinion, which we affirm, as
 adopting either party’s interpretation. While dissecting
 portions of the Veterans Court’s opinion and reading it out
 of the context of its discussion of our caselaw might possi-
 bly support alternative interpretations of the meaning of
 “the case” for § 5904(c)(1) (2012), we must read the opinion
 as a whole. And reading the opinion as a whole and in con-
 text, we find the Veterans Court’s interpretation consistent
 with our pre-2006 § 5904(c)(1) caselaw. Accordingly, we af-
 firm.
                        CONCLUSION
    We have considered Mr. Gumpenberger’s remaining
 arguments and find them unpersuasive. For the reasons
 above, we affirm.
                        AFFIRMED
                           COSTS
 No costs.