United States Federal Circuit

A decision of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims affirming a denial of claimant's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is vacated where the veterans claims court accepted a legally erroneous interpretation of statutory and regulatory provisions pertaining to a veteran's ability to prove service connection through competent lay evidence.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/14/2006
• Published 06/14/2006

Judges

• PROST, Circuit Judge., Before SCHALL, Circuit Judge, CLEVENGER, Senior Circuit Judge, and PROST, Circuit Judge.

Court

• United States Federal Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Michael J. Mooney, of Cincinnati, Ohio, argued for claimant-appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Michael S. Dufault, Trial Attorney, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, of Washington, DC, argued for respondent-appellee.   With him on the brief were Peter D. Keisler, Assistant Attorney General, David M. Cohen, Director, and Kathryn A. Bleecker, Assistant Director.   Of counsel on the brief were David J. Barrans, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, and Martin J. Sendek, Attorney, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, of Washington, DC.