⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Derrel Leonard Thomas v. Douglas A. Collins — CAVC (argued September 16, 2026)

No. 25-7475 Argued September 16, 2026 Published September 16, 2026

The United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims hears Derrel Leonard Thomas versus Douglas Collins. In 2023, VA awarded Thomas retroactive disability benefits reaching back to 2001, including a one-hundred-percent rating for Meniere's disease and special monthly compensation. Thomas believed VA still owed him more. In December 2024, he asked for additional compensation and an audit, but VA's April 2025 audit said the amount due and the amount paid matched. When Thomas requested Higher-Level Review, VA refused, saying an unchanged audit is not a decision and carries no review rights. Thomas now seeks a writ of mandamus ordering VA to process that review. The court must decide whether the December request was a claim, whether the audit letter was an appealable decision, and whether Thomas instead has an adequate route through a new formal claim.

Derrel Leonard Thomas v. Douglas A. Collins (No. 25-7475) — United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, argued September 16, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (public domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105):https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/Thomas.MP3
Argument listing — U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims:https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/oral_arguments_audio.php?fullsite=yes
Argument schedule — U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims:https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/oral_arguments_schedule.php
Public docket — Thomas v. Collins, No. 25-7475:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/cmecf/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=CaseSummary.jsp&caseNum=25-7475&incOrigDkt=Y&incDktEntries=Y
Order identifying the issue for decision — Veterans Court:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012012121716
Secretary's memorandum of law — Veterans Court docket:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012012512092
Thomas's reply memorandum — Veterans Court docket:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012012559410
38 U.S.C. § 5104C — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?edition=prelim&num=0&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title38-section5104C
Choosing a decision review option — Department of Veterans Affairs:https://www.va.gov/resources/choosing-a-decision-review-option
Cheney v. U.S. District Court — U.S. Supreme Court:https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep542/usrep542367/usrep542367.pdf
Gardner-Dickson v. Wilkie — Veterans Court:https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/Gardner-DicksonK_19-4765.pdf
Cardoza v. McDonough — Veterans Court:https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/CardozaP_20-6380.pdf
Encarnacion v. McDonough — Veterans Court:https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/EncarnacionCL_21-1411.pdf
Colin Rettammel notice of appearance — Veterans Court docket:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012012652613
Colin Rettammel professional profile — LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-rettammel-184922297
Debra Bernal notice of appearance — Veterans Court docket:https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012012927210

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