Charles J. Jenkins v. R. JAMES NICHOLSON, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
2006-7380
CHARLES J. JENKINS,
Claimant-Appellant,
v.
R. JAMES NICHOLSON, Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
Respondent-Appellee.
Charles J. Jenkins, of New Roads, Louisiana, pro se.
Lisa L. Donahue, Trial Attorney, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division,
United States Department of Justice, of Washington, DC, for respondent-appellee. With
her on the brief were Peter D. Keisler, Assistant Attorney General, David M. Cohen,
Director, and William F. Ryan, Assistant Director. Of counsel on the brief were Michael
J. Timinski, Deputy Assistant General Counsel, and Ethan G. Kalett, Attorney, United
States Department of Veterans Affairs, of Washington, DC.
Appealed from: United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Judge Lawrence B. Hagel

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NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
2006-7380
CHARLES J. JENKINS,
Claimant-Appellant,
v.
R. JAMES NICHOLSON,
Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
Respondent-Appellee.
__________________________
DECIDED: February 9, 2007
__________________________
Before NEWMAN, Circuit Judge, FRIEDMAN, Senior Circuit Judge, and MOORE, Circuit
Judge.
NEWMAN, Circuit Judge.
Charles J. Jenkins appeals from the decision1 of the United States Court of Appeals
for Veterans Claims denying him a writ of mandamus. Since the Secretary has performed
the act which was the subject of the proposed writ, we dismiss the appeal as moot.
1 Jenkins v. Nicholson, No. 06-685 (Vet. App. Mar.27, 2006).

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2006-7380 2
BACKGROUND
Mr. Jenkins served in the United States Army from January 30, 1969 to September
3, 1970. He was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and has been diagnosed with type II
diabetes mellitus, resulting from that exposure. On January 2, 2004 he filed a claim to
establish service connection for heart disease, secondary to his diabetes.
On March 6, 2006, Mr. Jenkins filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in the CAVC
seeking to compel the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to process his claim for benefits. The
court denied the petition and Mr. Jenkins appealed to this Court.
On September 22, 2006, while his appeal to us was pending, the VA Regional Office
in New Orleans issued a Rating Decision awarding Mr. Jenkins a rating of 100% service
connected disability for his heart disease along with additional compensation for his home-
bound status and eligibility for dependents' educational assistance.
DISCUSSION
The Secretary argues that this appeal is now moot, since the Secretary has both
processed Mr. Jenkins' claim and has awarded him the highest amount of compensation
possible. Mr. Jenkins argues that the appeal is still not moot as there are other conditions
for which he seeks compensation that were not addressed in the rating decision.
Mr. Jenkins misunderstands the nature of the writ of mandamus he requested. A
writ of mandamus is used to "command[] an inferior tribunal, board, corporation, or person
to perform a purely ministerial duty imposed by law," Black's Law Dictionary, 5th Ed. 1979.
The writ Mr. Jenkins requested was to compel the Secretary to process his claim. The
Secretary has done that act, so Mr. Jenkins' petition for a writ is moot. If there are still
issues remaining to be determined in Mr. Jenkins' claim, or if he is otherwise dissatisfied
with the Secretary's action, he may follow the procedures appropriate to his situation.

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2006-7380 3
Mr. Jenkins' appeal is dismissed as moot.
No costs.

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