SIXTH JUDICIAL CONFERENCE
(Sept. 18-19, 2000, Printed in 15 Vet. App. at XLVII)
First Plenary Session
- Opening Ceremony
- Remarks
- Honorable William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States
- State of the Court
- Chief Judge Frank Q. Nebeker
- Rules of Practice and Procedure
- Robert F. Comeau, Clerk of the Court
Morning Breakout Sessions
- Compensation and Pension Examinations: Expert Testimony or Physical Assessment?
- Lewis R. Coulson, M.D., VA Chicago Health Care System
- Evolving and Expanding Role of Veterans Benefits Jurisprudence of the Federal Circuit
- Professor James T. O'Reilly, College of Law, University of Cincinnati (Chair)
- Ronald Flagg, Sidley & Austin, Washington, DC
- Richard J. Hipolit, Office of VA General Counsel
- Todd Hughes, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice
- Approximately 16% of BVA Denials are Appealed to the CAVC: Are Meritorious Appeals Falling Through the Cracks?
- David Landers, Disabled American Veterans (Chair)
- Ronald Abrams, National Veterans Legal Service Program
- Brian Robertson, The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
- Keith D. Snyder, Olney, MD
- Quality Control of Veterans Benefits Decisions
- Richard B. Standefer, Board of Veterans' Appeals
- Robert Epley, Compensation and Pension Service, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Ruth Whichard, Compensation and Pension Service, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Update on Section 5904 Fees and EAJA Issues
- Ron Garvin, Office of VA General Counsel (Chair)
- Barton Stichman, National Veterans Legal Service Program
- Julie Clifford, Alexandria, VA
Second Plenary Session
- Restructuring the VBA
- Joseph Thompson, Under Secretary for Benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
- SAME AS MORNING SESSIONS
Third Plenary Session
- Court Jurisprudence and History
- Professor William Fox, Columbus School of Law, Catholic University
Fourth Plenary Session
- Application and Enforcement of the Court's Procedural Rules
- Sandra Montrose, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Moderator)
- Joan Moriarty, Office of VA General Counsel
- Ronald L. Smith, Disabled American Veterans
- Barbara Cook, Cincinnati, OH
- Ethics
- Colonel Charles Myers, USAF (Ret.), U.S. Air Force Academy
- Closing Remarks