Case: 23-2202 Document: 42 Page: 1 Filed: 04/10/2025

NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ______________________ INGRID ALTGELT, SUBSTITUTED FOR ERNEST J.

ALTGELT, III, Claimant-Appellant v. DOUGLAS A. COLLINS, SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, Respondent-Appellee ______________________ 2023-2202 ______________________ Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in No. 21-417, Judge Coral Wong Pietsch. ______________________ JUDGMENT ______________________ JOHN D. NILES, Carpenter Chartered, Topeka, KS, ar- gued for claimant-appellant.

NATHANAEL YALE, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, Washing- ton, DC, argued for respondent-appellee. Also represented by BRIAN M. BOYNTON, WILLIAM JAMES GRIMALDI, PATRICIA M. MCCARTHY; CHRISTINA LYNN GREGG, BRIAN D. GRIFFIN, Case: 23-2202 Document: 42 Page: 2 Filed: 04/10/2025

Office of General Counsel, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC. ______________________ THIS CAUSE having been heard and considered, it is ORDERED and ADJUDGED: PER CURIAM (DYK, STOLL, and STARK, Circuit Judges).

AFFIRMED. See Fed. Cir. R. 36.

ENTERED BY ORDER OF THE COURT

April 10, 2025 Date