⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

The Veterans Court hears Ronald Paul Carter’s appeal over when his disability benefits should begin. Carter reported that a superior sexually assaulted him during his Army service. He left the Army in 1990 but did not file his claim for post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, until June 2022. He says military policies against same-sex conduct, and fear of punishment or losing benefits, kept him from coming forward. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals recognized his condition as connected to service and awarded a total disability rating from June 2022. But it refused an earlier start date. This appeal is therefore about potential back pay, not whether he has PTSD or qualifies for benefits at all. An effective date is the date from which a benefit award is calculated. Under Section Fifty-One Ten, the usual rule is no earlier than the claim, with specific exceptions. Carter will seek an exception based on his constitutional right to access the VA claims process. He challenges the rule’s use in his circumstances, not its validity for everyone. A key comparison is Taylor, a Federal Circuit case involving a veteran bound by a secrecy oath about Army chemical testing. Threats of prosecution kept him from claiming benefits. The court allowed relief from the effective-date limit. The judges here will ask whether government policies or threats created a comparable barrier after Carter left the military. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell came after his discharge; his claim also relies on an earlier policy. The Secretary’s lawyer will accept the sincerity of Carter’s fear but dispute that government action blocked him from filing after discharge. The distinction is between sincere fear and government conduct unlawfully obstructing access to benefits. You will also hear UCMJ: the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the military’s criminal-law system.

Ronald Paul Carter v. Douglas A. Collins (No. 25-6094) — United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, argued October 21, 2026.