Frank Lynn Morrison v. Douglas A. Collins — CAVC (Nov 10, 2026)

The Veterans Court hears Frank Lynn Morrison's appeal over additional disability compensation for his adult stepdaughter. Morrison married her mother in 2021, when the daughter was already over eighteen. He says she lives with the family and has been unable to support herself since childhood. The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied the dependency claim because VA's regulation requires stepchild status to begin before eighteen. The dispute concerns two different questions: when the disability began, and when the stepchild relationship legally began. Congress's definition of a child includes some unmarried adults who became permanently incapable of self-support before eighteen. Morrison will argue that Congress did not also require the stepchild relationship to begin before that age. The Secretary's lawyer will defend VA's rule as continuing a relationship formed in childhood, not creating eligibility through a later marriage. The judges will also consider whether a victory on that legal issue would permit an immediate award, or whether the Board would first need to decide when permanent incapacity began.
Frank Lynn Morrison v. Douglas A. Collins (No. 25-0029) — United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, argued November 10, 2026.
Sources:
Argument audio — official Veterans Court recording:
https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/Morrison.MP3
Argument date — official Veterans Court audio index:
https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/oral_arguments_audio.php?fullsite=yes
Case and filings — official Veterans Court public docket:
https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/cmecf/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=CaseSummary.jsp&caseNum=25-0029&incOrigDkt=Y&incDktEntries=Y
Dependency denial — Board decision of September 21, 2024, filed February 7, 2025:
https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012011164592
Morrison's factual account and statutory challenge — August 11, 2025 appellant brief; selected pages reviewed:
https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012011718916
Secretary's factual account and defense — November 24, 2025 appellee brief; selected pages reviewed:
https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/docs1/012012040790
Statutory definition of child — 38 U.S.C. § 101(4)(A):
https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-134/t38/s101/
VA's child and stepchild definitions — 38 C.F.R. § 3.57; public regulation text:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/38/3.57