In veterans’ benefits case, court says Congress chose a firm rule over a flexible standard -...

Loss for Veterans. A ruling in the veteran's favor would have allowed veterans who did not file a disability claim within a year of the end of enlistment due to their disability to receive retroactive disability compensation to the end date of service under something known as equitable tolling. The Supreme Court ruled against it.

The Supreme Court unanimously held on Monday that a one-year timeframe for military veterans to apply for retroactive disability benefits is a firm deadline that cannot be extended under a doctrine known as “equitable tolling.” The court found that equitable tolling would be inconsistent with Congress’s intent to set effective dates for veterans’ benefits.

For background, Adolfo Arellano was discharged from the United States Navy in 1981. As a result of his service, he suffered from a severe mental health condition that, for many years, left him unable to understand his eligibility for disability benefits. In 2011, 30 years after his military service, he applied for benefits, and the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him benefits, effective on the date the agency received his claim. Arellano appealed the effective date, arguing that he should receive retroactive benefits dating back to when he was discharged from the military.