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Appealing the Denial of Benefits
A Note About the Time Involved to Appeal a VA Denial
The VA appeals process is lengthy. According to the fiscal year 2011 Annual Report of the Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals, the average claimant waits 883 days from the time he files a Substantive Appeal until a final BVA decision. In Veterans for Common Sense v. Shinseki, 645 F.3d 845 (9th Cir. 2011), aff'd in part, rev'd in part, remanded with instructions to dismiss, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 9230 (9th Cir. May 7, 2012), the Court reported it could take anywhere from 261 days to 1,000 days for the RO to issue an SOC.
The Initial Regional Office Decision
The VA is required to notify the claimant and his representative in writing of any adverse decision. See M21-1MR, Part III, Subpart I, 1.7.b. The VA is required to include in its notice:
The reasons for the denial
A summary of the evidence considered
Notice of the claimant's appellate rights.
See 38 C.F.R. § 3.103(b); 38 U.S.C. § 5104.
Usually, the notice will be a cover letter with the rating decision attached. See attached sample. Recently, however the VA has been utilizing a simplified notification letter to serve as the rating decision. It contains less detail. If you receive one of the abbreviated notice letters, it is advisable to request a complete copy of the actual rating decision.
Although the VA is required to explain the reasons for its decision in the Statement of the Case, the initial rating decision is still the primary document.
In Ingram v. Nicholson, the Court stated that "a reasonably raised claim remains pending until there is either a recognition of the substance of the claim in an RO decision from which a claimant could deduce that the claim was adjudicated or an explicit adjudication of a subsequent 'claim' for the same disability." 9 Vet. App. 232, 243 (2007).
Even if the VA never mails notice of a decision to a claimant, if the claimant or his representative later receives a copy of the VA adjudication, the time to respond would begin run. See Mathews v. Principi, 19 Vet. App. 23, aff'd on reconsideration, 19 Vet. App. 202 (2005); aff'd without written opinion, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 9745 (Fed. Cir. 2006). This would typically involve a situation where the claimant or his representative requests an updated copy of the claims file and discovers the adjudications for which notice was never given.
The Rating Decision
If the rating decision is not attached to the notification letter, the attorney should request a copy of the rating decision. It is crucial that the attorney understand the precise basis for VA's decision.
What Decisions Can be Appealed?
Any claimant for benefits administered by VA has a right to appeal adverse decisions by the agency. See 38 U.S.C. § 7104. In general, the following types of claims are appealable:
Compensation benefits
Medical care eligibility
Medical expense reimbursement
Waiver of recovery of overpayment
The primary exceptions to a claimant's appellate rights concern medical decisions. For example, a claimant may complain about medical decisions concerning his care and treatment, such as the types of therapy, medications, and treatment protocol. Most of these issues that are within the domain of the medical judgment of a treating physician are outside the scope of the BVA's jurisdiction. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.101(b). In general, the Board's appellant jurisdiction extends to issues concerning eligibility for hospitalization, outpatient treatment, nursing home or domiciliary care, for prosthetic devices, canes, wheelchairs, back braces, etc. On the other hand, medical determinations such as appropriateness of certain types of care are "not adjudicative matters and are beyond the Board's jurisdiction." Id.
A claimant also may not appeal to the BVA or CAVC issues that are solely committed to the Secretary's discretion. See Werden v. West, 13 Vet. App. 463 (2000). For example, a claimant could not appeal the manner in which the Secretary disburses a grant. See Werden at 467-68.
THE NOTICE OF DISAGREEMENT
The first step in the appeals process, once a claimant receives an adverse decision, is to file a Notice of Disagreement ("NOD"). The filing of an NOD is required to begin the appeal process. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.201 (2012).
The NOD is defined as a "written communication from a claimant or his or her representative expressing dissatisfaction or disagreement with an adjudicative determination by the agency or original jurisdiction and a desire to contest the result." 38 C.F.R. § 20.201 (2012).
The terms of the NOD must be ones that "can be reasonably construed as expressing disagreement with that determination and a desire for appellate review." Id. The claimant cannot simply express disagreement. He must indicate a desire to seek appellate review. The requirement that the NOD express a desire for appellate review was upheld in Gallegos v. Principi, 283 F.3d 1309 (Fed. Cir. 2002), cert. denied, 537 U.S. 1701 (2002).
There is no VA form for an NOD and the Court has applied a liberal reading to the correspondence of claimants. As such, there is no specific language so long as it expresses disagreement and an intent to seek appellate review.
However, if there are multiple issues, the claimant must specifically delineate which of the determinations he disagrees with. For example, if the rating decision denied claims for PTSD, a low back disorder, and bilateral hearing loss, and the veteran only wanted to appeal the PTSD claim, he must specifically indicate that he wants to appeal only the PTSD claim.
Basic requirements for an NOD:
Must express disagreement with an adverse determination
Must delineate specific issues in a multi-issue case
Must express an intent to seek appellate review
Must be in writing
Where and When to File the NOD
The claimant must file the NOD with the VA office that sent the notice of the decision. See 38 C.F.R. § 7105. If the claimant's case has been transferred to another regional office, then the claimant must file his NOD with the RO that has jurisdiction over the file. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.300 (2012). If there was a denial relative to entitlement to treatment from a VA medical facility, then the claimant should send his NOD to the VA medical center that made the determination with a copy to the appropriate RO.
The deadline to file the NOD is one year. This means that a claimant must file his NOD within one year from the date that the VA mailed notice of the unfavorable decision. The date on the notice letter is considered the date of mailing. In practice, do not wait until the last day of the one-year period to file the NOD.
As noted in 38 U.S.C. § 7105(b)(1), the postmark determines the date of filing. So long as the NOD is postmarked on or before the expiration of the one-year period, it will be considered timely. When calculating the time, the first day is excluded and the last day included. Like many other filing deadlines in other venues, if the due date follows on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the deadline would be the next business day. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.305(b).
In addition, the common law mailbox rule applies when assessing the timeliness of the filing of an NOD. With respect to the common law mailbox rule, the Federal Circuit observed that a letter proven to be either placed in the post office or delivered to the postman is presumed to have reached its destination in the normal course of business of the post office. See Savitz v. Peake, 519 F.3d 1312, 1315 (Fed. Cir. 2008).
It is very important that the NOD be filed on time. If the claimant misses the deadline, the adverse decision becomes final. If the decision becomes final, the claimant must file a reopened claim with the RO, and under these circumstances, the effective date of any subsequent award would be the date the VA received the re-filed claim.
There is an exception to the one-year requirement. If there are simultaneously-contested claims, then there is a 60-day deadline. Simultaneously-contested claims are where opposing claimants are competing for the same benefits. Another example would be an adverse fee determination wherein VA refuses to withhold the 20 percent legal fee.
Practical Tips for Drafting the NOD
Include "NOTICE OF DISAGREEMENT" in bold letters at the top of the correspondence.
State that you want a Statement of the Case so that you may appeal to the BVA
Identify the exact adverse decision being appealed. For example, the "April 15, 2012 rating decision".
Include the claimant's name
Include the claimant's VA file number
It is important to use broad language when drafting an NOD. Language that is too specific could negate any inferred issues or other issues reasonably raised by the evidence of record but not specifically mentioned.
It is also a good idea to request de novo review by a decision review officer.
Strategy Once the NOD is Filed
Once the NOD is filed and the appeal process started, it is advantageous to submit argument and additional evidence. Typically, as attorney advocates we are getting involved in claims after the NOD is filed, and the claims files have not been developed properly. As such, a comprehensive review of the file should be done, and then additional evidence obtained. The type of evidence needed is usually determined by the reason for the initial denial. For instance, if the service medical records establish an in-service event and the veteran has a current disability, then the VA denial would be predicated on the absence of a medical nexus. Accordingly, the advocate should obtain the appropriate expert medical opinion on the nexus issue. The additional evidence should be submitted with argument. Persuasive argument and additional evidence could result in VA changing the denial to a grant of benefits.
Downstream Issues
If the VA grants service connection on appeal after a claimant files an NOD, then the advocate must consider filing an NOD as to the downstream issues, such as the assigned rating and the effective date. If the rating decision grants service connection but assigns less than the maximum rating and the wrong effective date, then the claimant must file an NOD as to the assigned rating and effective date.
THE DECISION REVIEW OFFICER PROCESS
Once the NOD is filed, a claimant may request that his rating decision be reviewed by a senior VA employee known as a Decision Review Officer, or DRO. The review of a DRO is de novo. It is important to remember that the DRO process is optional and is available for any rating decision where less than the full benefit has been awarded.
If the claimant does not elect the DRO, his case will proceed as a traditional appeal. There is a window of opportunity for electing the DRO. It is recommended that if the claimant wishes DRO review, he should request it in his NOD. Otherwise, VA will send the claimant an election letter, advising him of the option for DRO review and affording him 60 days to make an election. If the claimant does nothing within the 60-day period, the appeal will automatically proceed as a traditional appeal.
The traditional appeal process involves the issuance of a Statement of the Case and a substantive appeal to the BVA.
If the DRO has been selected he or she will review the evidence and applicable laws de novo and make a new decision. The DRO should not give deference to the previous rating decision. The DRO also has the authority to order additional development, conduct a hearing, if requested, or hold an informal conference. See 38 C.F.R. § 3.2600(a).
The DRO cannot overturn the favorable portion of the previous rating decision, unless the favorable portion of the prior decision contained clear and unmistakable error ("CUE"). Under the CAVC's jurisprudence, evidence that is "clear and unmistakable" must be undebatable. See Quirin v. Shinseki, 22 Vet. App. 390, 396 (2009).
Limitations on the DRO
The DRO cannot "bargain" with the claimant. The VA adjudications manual states in relevant part:
A DRO cannot make a bargain with an appellant or his/her representative by requesting or requiring him/her to withdraw a claim or take any action in exchange for the granting of any benefit.
Manual M21-1MR, Part I, 5.C.12.h.
Practice Tip: The DRO's know the people from the rating team. They generally will not overturn their colleague unless you give them something different to form the basis of a new decision. We recommend additional development of evidence and argument at the DRO stage.
The DRO Hearing
Some attorneys view the hearing as an important strategic tool in personalizing the claim before the VA adjudicators. It provides the VA adjudicators with an in-person opportunity to assess the claimant's credibility. In practice, however, if any aspect of the claim is predicated on the credibility of a claimant (absent a combat veteran situation under 38 U.S.C. § 1154(b)), then as a practitioner you must be realistic about the chances of success. The VA does not like to grant claims based solely on veteran's lay statements.
If the claimant wishes a hearing, then it should be done after the initial rating decision but before the Substantive Appeal (VA Form 9) is filed.
The VA hearings are informal, and take place in a non-descript room with microphones and a tape recorder. The decision maker, the claimant, his representative and any witnesses are usually the only ones allowed into the room. Others may be present upon consent of the claimant. The DRO generally does not ask too many questions, but he/she has a duty to explain the law or suggest the introduction of missing evidence. See 38 C.F.R. § 3.103(c).
The Statement of the Case
The next step in the process after the NOD and DRO review is the VA's issuance of a Statement of the Case ("SOC"). Unless the disagreement is resolved in the claimant's favor, the VA must issue an SOC. When the VA sends the SOC it is accompanied by information as to how to file a Substantive Appeal.
The SOC is intended to afford the claimant with an understanding of the reasons for the VA's decision. The idea is that a detailed understanding of the basis for the prior denial will assist the claimant in preparing his Substantive Appeal. In essence, the SOC is a readjudication of the claim.
According to the 2011 Fiscal Year report of the Chairman of the Board of Veterans Appeals, it takes an average of 257 days after the NOD is filed for the VA to issue the SOC.
The SOC is often many pages of boilerplate law and regulations. The SOC is required to include a summary of the applicable laws and regulations, as well as a summary of the evidence. The SOC should include an application of the laws to the facts.
The SOC should be compared with the evidence of record. It's not always accurate.
The Substantive Appeal (VA Form 9)
The Substantive Appeal or VA Form 9 must be filed within 60 days of the date of the mailing of the SOC or within the remainder of the one-year period from the mailing of the notice of the rating decision, whichever is later. See attached sample form. The purpose of the Form 9 is to transfer jurisdiction of the appeal to the BVA. If a claimant fails to file a timely Form 9, then the rating decision will become final. An extension of time is available if the claimant has "good cause." See 38 C.F.R. § 20.303.
In the Form 9, the claimant will place VA on notice of the arguments and contentions as to VA error. It is also his opportunity to request a BVA hearing. The form will also require the claimant to identify which of the issues he is appealing.
In order to avoid any problems, it is recommended that you file the Form 9 as soon as possible. As with the NOD, if the Form 9 is postmarked on or before the 60th day it will be considered timely. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.305(a).
With any important submission to a VA regional office, it is recommended that it be sent via certified mail. The VA is notorious for misplacing mail, and the certified mail will enable the attorney to prove VA's actual receipt.
There is an exception to the 60-day rule: if the claimant submits new evidence within the one-year appeal period and the VA issues a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC), then the claimant would have 60 days from the date of the SSOC to file his Form 9. Thus, even if the claimant missed the deadline for filing his Form 9, if the VA issues an SSOC in response to evidence received within the one-year appeal period, the claimant would have 60 days from date the SSOC was mailed to file the Form 9.
Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC)
The VA issues an SSOC in response to evidence submitted after the issuance of the SOC. There may be many SSOC's in a case due to the continual submission of evidence before the case is sent to the BVA. If the claimant wishes to respond to the SSOC, he must do so within 30-days from the date it was mailed. However, there is no requirement that a claimant respond to the SSOC.
Important Considerations Regarding the Form 9
The Substantive Appeal is almost always filed on a VA Form 9. However, the Substantive Appeal can be in the form of a letter so long as it contains the required information. See 38 C.F.R. § 20.202.
If the attorney intends to submit a brief later in the process, he need not present extensive argument at the time the Form 9 is submitted. However, in order to preserve all potential issues, the advocate should use broad and inclusive language in the Form 9. But the claimant must provide some indication that he wishes to raise a particular issue for appeal. In the case of Sondel v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 218 (1994), the CAVC observed that the claimant need not make an express or detailed indication, but his Form 9, other documents, or oral testimony must provide some suggestion that he intends to raise a particular issue before the BVA.
In the event that the Substantive Appeal is deemed inadequate by the BVA, the appeal could be dismissed. Thus, to avoid this risk, it is recommended that the claimant provide an express indication as to the issues he wishes to raise on appeal, as well as the broad and inclusive language necessary to preserve issues or legal theories that were not previously mentioned.
Finally, the Form 9 asks the claimant to specify whether he wants to have a hearing. There are several types of hearings:
Travel Board hearing: This is an in-person local hearing at the RO by the Veterans Law Judge assigned to the case.
Washington, D.C.: This is where the claimant travels to Washington, D.C. to appear at the BVA before the judge assigned to the case.
Videoconference hearing: This is where the claimant would testify via videoconferencing at the local RO.
The claimant is permitted to submit his argument and evidence at any time before the case is certified to the BVA. Even then, the claimant is afforded 90 days from the date the of the case's certification to the BVA to submit additional evidence and argument. In general, once the Form 9 is filed, then the attorney should review the file to determine if there is any additional development that needs to be done, and then prepare the final brief and evidentiary submission.
Certification to the BVA
Once the timely Form 9 is filed, then the RO will certify the case to the BVA using a VA Form 8, which is known as a Certification of Appeal. During the time leading up to the Certification, the VA will afford the claimant's representative an opportunity to submit a formal brief. The current regulations rely on the Form 8 for administrative purposes and it does not necessarily define all the issues that are on appeal.
The BVA Hearing Process
Most claimants request a Travel Board hearing when they file their Form 9, but can request it at any time after the Form 9 is filed and through the end of the 90-day period that begins when the case is transferred to the BVA. The claimant will receive a letter indicating that he or she has 90 days to submit new evidence or change representatives.
STRATEGIES FOR THE BVA HEARING
The claimant and the attorney should meet prior to the hearing, review the claims file, and make certain that the file contains all the necessary evidence to satisfy the legal elements of proof. In addition, the attorney and the claimant should review and prepare the testimony and the evidence that will be presented. The hearing is nonadversarial. This means that there is no opposing side to offer competing evidence or to cross-examine witnesses. The Federal Rules of Evidence do not apply.
The primary issues of a nexus and an in-service occurrence should hopefully be established with the documentary evidence. Thus, it is a good idea to focus on the issues where lay evidence can buttress the case. For instance, on the issue of continuity of symptomatology, lay evidence can be very useful, and the attorney should make certain this testimony is elicited during the hearing.
In terms of basic procedure, when the claimant's case is called, he and his attorney would go to the hearing room. Prior to the claimant and any witnesses being sworn in, an informal off-the-record discussion takes place. This informal discussion deals with the issues on appeal and what documentary evidence will be submitted.
Next, the attorney will provide an opening statement. The attorney should summarize the issues and what the testimony will show. He should also comment on the relevant legal requirements and discuss why the evidence shows entitlement to the benefits sought.
Following the opening statement, the attorney should lead the claimant and any witnesses through direct examination. The Veterans Law Judge ("VLJ") will often then have an opportunity to ask some questions of the claimant to elicit information. The VLJ's questioning should not be in the form of "cross-examination."
Finally, the attorney can offer a closing statement.
REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF BVA DECISIONS
In order to assess the merits of a potential appeal to the CAVC, the attorney should be familiar with the most common areas of Board error. In general most cases with remandable error will fall into two basic categories: (1) reasons or bases violations, and (2) duty to assist violations. Below is a summary of 10 common errors in BVA decisions.
The Board fails to consider favorable evidence. The Board is not required to decide the case in the claimant's favor. But it cannot reject favorable evidence without a valid explanation. If the Board ignores or mischaracterizes favorable evidence that is material, then you may be able to successfully argue for a remand.
The Board fails to properly analyze favorable medical reports. The Board will often improperly reject a private doctor's opinion. The Board may reject the private doctor's report solely because he did not state that he reviewed the claims file. It is important to remember that the Board cannot reject a private doctor's report solely because he did not say that he reviewed the claims file. The Board may also reject a private doctor's opinion if it is based on the veteran's own statements about his medical history. The Board cannot reject the doctor's report just because it's based on the veteran's statements unless the veteran's statements are found not to be credible.
The Board relied on an inadequate VA medical exam. You will frequently notice that the VA will aggressively scrutinize and attack the favorable opinions of private doctors, but then bend over backwards to accept the negative opinions of their own doctors. Because VA tends to side with its own doctors, they frequently rely on negative reports that are not adequate for rating purposes. You want to analyze the VA doctor's report to make sure the facts upon which he bases his conclusions are accurate. If he assumed certain facts in order to reach his conclusion, but the evidence in the file shows he is wrong about his factual assumptions, his report can be attacked as being inadequate. The VA doctor may also fail to provide sufficient reasons to support his conclusion or may fail to perform required tests. Again, these factors may be used to successfully attack a VA examination.
The Board fails to properly consider lay evidence. The Board's treatment of lay evidence is very important because it frequently is the only evidence the claimant may have that documents either what happened in service or the ongoing symptoms he experienced since discharge. VA likes to discredit lay statements if they are not corroborated by medical or military records. VA does not like to accept the statements of veterans. When analyzing the Board decision in your case, you should look carefully to determine if the Board rejected lay statements simply because they are not corroborated by medical or military records. In some cases, lay evidence may be the only evidence you have to document what happened in the service or the ongoing symptoms. It is error for the Board to reject the lay statements simply because they are not corroborated by medical or military records.
The Board fails to consider all possible diagnoses. To explain this type of Board error, it is useful to give an example. Let's say the claimant has a mental disability, and some of the doctors indicate a diagnosis of PTSD. The claimant then files for PTSD. The VA sends the claimant for a VA exam and the VA doctor then diagnoses depression and not PTSD. The Board then denies the PTSD claim because the claimant has depression and not PTSD. Under these circumstances, the Board is required to consider service-connection for depression even though the claimant filed a claim for PTSD.
The Board fails to consider a claim or theory. This is a situation where the claimant may not have specifically made any arguments for a particular claim or theory, but the evidence submitted suggests other claims or theories. The VA is required to consider all possible claims or theories that are suggested by the evidence even if not specifically raised.
The Board fails to make sure the VA satisfies the duty to assist. The VA is required to assist the claimant in obtaining evidence to support his claim. This means VA is required to request records that the claimant identifies and authorizes VA to obtain, and it also means that VA is sometimes required to provide a medical exam. There are certain circumstances where VA must provide an exam. If the claims file shows the following four factors, then VA will have to provide a medical exam: The evidence must show (1) a current disability; (2) something happened in the service; (3) an indication that the disability may be associated with service; and (4) there is not enough medical evidence to decide the case. If these four criteria are satisfied, VA will be required to give a claimant a medical exam. The Board will often overlook the evidence that meets these four elements and fail to send the case back to the regional office for a medical exam.
The Board plays the role of a doctor. The Board cannot decide the medical issues in the case without relying on the medical reports of doctors. For example, the Board cannot piece together various medical records and come up with its own diagnosis. You must carefully analyze the language in a Board decision to make sure the Board is not violating this rule.
The Board fails to comply with a prior order of the Board or the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. If your case has previously been at the Board or the Court and was remanded with special instructions, the Board must comply with those instructions. If it fails in this regard, it is grounds for a remand.
The VA failed to provide proper notice. Sometimes the VA fails to provide the claimant with proper notice of all the information that is required under the law. The law requires that VA notify the claimant concerning the types of evidence that are needed to support the claim. You should look carefully at the letters VA sends to make sure VA has adequately informed the claimant of the necessary information before it makes a decision in the case.
APPEALING TO THE CAVC
Over the past decade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims ("CAVC") has remanded or reversed, at least in part, more than 70 percent of cases that it adjudicated on the merits.
See https://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/report.php.
CAVC Jurisdiction
Under 38 U.S.C. § 7252(a) the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims ("CAVC") has exclusive jurisdiction to review BVA decisions. The Secretary has no authority to seek appellate review of a BVA decision. Id. The CAVC has the power to affirm, modify, reverse or remand a decision of the BVA. Id. The basis of the CAVC's review is the record of proceedings before the agency. Id. § 7252(b).
Only a person adversely affected by a BVA decision may appeal. See 38 U.S.C. § 7266(a). In A.B. v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 35, 38 (1993), the Court observed that this requirement is met when the appellant receives less than the maximum to which he may be entitled. For instance, if the appellant appealed the assignment of a 50 percent rating for service-connected PTSD, and the BVA granted 70 percent, the appellant would be entitled to appeal the BVA's failure to award the maximum 100 percent.
There are four criteria for the CAVC's jurisdiction:
There must be a final decision on a claim. See 38 U.S.C. § 7266(a). In practical terms, this means that an appellant cannot appeal an issue that is not the subject of a final BVA decision.
A Notice of Appeal must be filed within 120 days after the BVA decision was mailed. See 38 U.S.C. § 7266. The Notice of Appeal must be either received or postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service within 120 days.
The Notice of Appeal must contain three criteria:
It must identify the BVA decision being appealed and indicate an intent to seek appellate review;
It must set forth the appellant's name, address, telephone number, and VA file number. (Note: The Notice of Appeal is the only pleading that contains the appellant's VA file number.)
It must be accompanied by a Notice of Appearance if it is being filed by an attorney.
There must be a case or controversy. Under the case or controversy doctrine, a federal court cannot render an advisory opinion. The CAVC adheres to this doctrine as a jurisdictional predicate. See Norvell v. Peake, 22 Vet. App. 194, 201 (2008)(citing United States Parole Comm'n v. Geraghty, 445 U.S. 388, 397 (1980)).
Doctrine of Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies
This issue frequently arises when the evidence of record reasonably raises entitlement to a benefit that was never expressly raised by the appellant. This also applies in situations where the appellant raises a legal theory for the first time on appeal at the CAVC, which was not addressed by the BVA.
In general, the doctrine of exhaustion of administrative remedies would preclude an appellant from raising an issue not previously raised before the administrative agency. In VA practice, however, the requirement that the Secretary "fully and sympathetically develop a veteran's claim to its optimum" would require the Secretary to determine all potential claims raised by the evidence of record. Moody v. Principi, 360 F.3d 1306, 1310 (Fed. Cir. 2004); see also Szemraj v. Principi, 357 F.3d 1370, 1373 (Fed. Cir. 2004). Thus, an appellant can appeal to the CAVC the VA's failure to determine an issue reasonably raised by the evidence of record. See Beverly v. Nicholson, 19 Vet. App. 394 (2005). In day-to-day practice before the CAVC, this is a common issue and advocates must carefully determine what issues or theories were raised by the evidence of record that the Secretary failed to address. Consistent with the non-adversarial nature of the VA claims process, the Federal Circuit has ruled that the CAVC has jurisdiction to consider any issue raised for the first time at the CAVC level. See Maggitt v. West, 202 F.3d 1370 (Fed. Cir. 2000). However, the Court noted that just because the CAVC has jurisdiction over an issue, does not mean that consideration of the issue was mandatory. Id. But in general, the CAVC has adopted a liberal approach to issue exhaustion.
The Extent of the CAVC's Review of BVA Decisions
The scope of the Court's review is addressed in 38 U.S.C. § 7261. The important points to consider are:
The CAVC will review BVA findings of fact under the "clearly erroneous" standard of review. This means that although there is evidence to support it, the reviewing court "on the entire evidence is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed." Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49, 52 (1990); see also Hicks v. Brown, 8 Vet. App. 417, 422 (1995)(noting that a clearly erroneous finding would be made only if all of the evidence was against the BVA's factual finding). In general, the CAVC still gives the BVA significant deference when reviewing factual findings.
The CAVC will review BVA findings on non-factual issues under the "arbitrary and capricious, [or] an abuse of discretion" standard of review. See 38 U.S.C. § 7261(a). Examples include whether the BVA erred in denying a waiver of indebtedness and whether the Secretary erred in the selection of a diagnostic code.
It is important to note that the CAVC may not review favorable BVA findings of fact. See 38 U.S.C. § 7261(a)(4). Remember, that the Court reviews purely legal issues de novo.
BASIC PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE BEFORE THE CAVC
As an attorney you are required to use the Court's CM/ECF filing system. The Court's website www.uscourts.cavc.gov provides information as to becoming an CM/ECF filing system user. In short, all documents must be electronically signed and converted to a "PDF" and then e-filed directly with the Court.
Commencement of the Appeal – The Filing of the Notice of Appeal and Notice of Appearance
The first step in the appellate process before the CAVC is to file the Notice of Appeal within the 120-day time frame. The contents of the Notice of Appeal were discussed supra. Since a new appeal will not be on the Court's docket, case-initiating documents can be submitted via email to [hidden email].
Attorneys filing a Notice of Appeal must also include a copy of their Notice of Appearance. The Notice of Appearance must be in the name of an individual attorney and not a law firm. The Court does permit a limited appearance for the sole purpose of filing the Notice of Appeal.
The CAVC also requires a $50 filing fee. This must be filed within 14 days after the Court's issuance of the Notice of Docketing. In practice, the filing fee should be submitted at the same time the Notice of Appeal is filed. For veterans experiencing financial hardship, the Court provides for the filing of a Declaration of Financial Hardship in lieu of the filing fee.
The Record Before the Agency
Within 60 days after the Notice of Docketing, the counsel for the Secretary must serve a copy of the Record Before the Agency ("RBA"). The RBA is a copy of the entire claims file. It contains all the documents in the claims file as of the date of the BVA decision being appealed. The RBA is served on the appellant (or his counsel) and is not filed with the Court. The Secretary's counsel will file a notice with the Court that the RBA was served. This starts the time in which an appellant has to respond to the RBA.
For attorneys, the Secretary will serve the RBA in the form of a CD containing the claims file in "PDF" format. The CD is searchable and given that many of these files can be several thousand pages, file storage is more manageable.
The attorney should review the RBA and respond within 19 days after the date it was served. The initial review should be to ascertain completeness and legibility. If there are no issues with the RBA, the attorney should file a statement with the Court indicating acceptance of the RBA. If the attorney does not file a statement accepting the RBA, then after the 19th day the Court will deem the RBA as accepted.
If there is a dispute, counsel should contact his adversary and try to resolve the disagreement. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, then notice should be filed with the Court indicating a dispute and what efforts the parties have taken to resolve the dispute.
The Notice to File Brief
Upon acceptance of the RBA, the Court will issue a 60-day Notice to File Brief. This places the appellant on notice that his or her brief is due within 60 days.
The Briefing Conference
The briefing conference is similar to a settlement conference that exists in other appellate courts. It is part of the Court's dispute resolution process. The conference is a crucial event in the case.
As an attorney, it is your job to get the case overturned and remanded as fast as possible. Remember, for a veteran to appeal as far as the CAVC means that his case has been on appeal for many years. As such, trying to resolve the case without having to go to brief will save time and money.
Shortly after the Court issues a Notice to File Brief, it will schedule a briefing conference. You will receive an order indicating the date and time of the conference. These conferences are conducted over the telephone between the counsel for the parties and a staff attorney from the Court's Central Legal Staff. The Court endeavors to schedule the conferences approximately 30 days before the briefing deadline.
Next, the attorney must prepare his summary of the issues and serve it on opposing counsel and the Central Legal Staff no later than 14 days prior to the conference. Service is generally made by email. The attorney must then file a Certificate of Service with the Court indicating the date and manner of service.
The summary of issues or the conference memo is critical. Your case can be won on the strength of the conference memo. To prepare, the attorney must undertake a thorough chronological review of the entire RBA. The memo should include a discussion of the issues and relevant law and facts–with citation to the relevant pages from the RBA. The memo must be double-spaced and in 13-point font. It cannot exceed 10 pages.
The Central Legal Staff attorney will initiate the conference call. The counsel for the Secretary will generally provide a response to the memo and disclose the Secretary's position. Appellant's counsel then has an opportunity to discuss the issues as well. Often, an agreement for a joint resolution is reached at the time of the conference. This is where the Secretary recognizes error in the BVA decision and the parties agree that the matter should be remanded.
The Joint Motion for Remand
Assuming the parties reach an agreement as to BVA error, they will enter into what is called a Joint Motion for Remand ("JMR"). In practical terms, this is a settlement agreement that gets filed with the Court. A sample JMR is attached.
There are several points that warrant emphasis relative to a JMR. In Stegal v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268, 271 (1998), the Court ruled that a remand by the Court or the BVA imposed a concomitant duty on the Secretary to ensure compliance with the terms of the remand. The current practice of the Court is to issue an order granting the JMR and citing to Stegal.
The goal of the JMR is to narrow the legal or factual issues that the BVA would have at its disposal to construct another denial. The idea is that the BVA adjudicator should be "boxed in" to reach a favorable conclusion. The JMR should be as precise as possible, and it should specify the legal and factual errors that were made in the past.
After the JMR is filed, the Court will issue an order and then a mandate. An application for attorney fees can be made within 30 days after the mandate.
Joint Stay Motions
If the parties reach an agreement to enter into a JMR, they can file a Joint Motion for Stay of Proceedings. This would "stay" the case for up to 60 days to draft the JMR. The first stay motion is usually for 30 days and must be a joint filing. The stay can be extended up to an additional 30 days. Upon consent, either party can extend the stay unilaterally. Once the stay is lifted, the timeline of the case resumes at that point where it left off when the stay was imposed.
What Happens When There is no Settlement?
In the event that the parties do not reach an agreement at the briefing conference stage, then the parties proceed to the briefing stage. Under the current rules of practice, in cases where the appellant is represented by counsel, the brief due date must be re-calculated at the time of the briefing conference. Although there was an initial 60-day briefing deadline, this deadline gets re-calculated to be 30 days after the date of the briefing conference.
Preparing the Brief
U.S. Vet. App. R. 28 and R. 32 contain the information pertaining to the contents and format for a brief. See sample attached. It must contain a table of contents, a table of authorities, including citations to the RBA, a statement of the issues, a statement of the case, a legal argument, and conclusion.
The principal brief cannot exceed 30 pages. If oral argument is desired, the appellant must file a separate motion.
It is also important that the brief raise all potential legal issues. The failure to address an issue will result in that issue being abandoned. All issues must be raised in the principal brief. The attorney cannot raise a new issue in his reply brief–unless it is in response to an issue raised by the Secretary's brief.
The Reply Brief
The Secretary has 60 days to respond to the appellant's brief. The reply brief must be filed within 14 days after the Secretary's brief. It is optional to file a reply brief.
The Record of Proceedings
After the briefs have been filed, the Secretary will compile a Record of Proceedings ("ROP") that contains all the relevant documents necessary for the Court's review and disposition of the case. The Appellant must review the ROP to ensure its accuracy and completeness. The appellant has 14 days to respond to the ROP. If he fails to file a statement accepting the ROP within the time allowed, it will be deemed accepted.
The Court will generally make a decision in 10-12 months after the briefs have been filed.
Motion Practice
Motions are governed by U.S. Vet. App. R. 27. Motions for extensions are governed by U.S. Vet. App. R. 26. Extension motions are the most common. In general, the parties can extend any required event up to 45 days.
Appeals from Final CAVC Decisions
The Federal Circuit has exclusive jurisdiction to hear appeals from CAVC denials. The practice and procedure before the Federal Circuit is beyond the scope of these materials. Keep in mind, however, that appeals to the Federal Circuit must be made within 60 days after the CAVC final decision.


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04/15/2015 05:54 pm ET Updated Apr 16, 2015
NBC's Richard Engel Re-Reporting His Kidnapping In Syria Following Questions Over Captors' Identity
By Michael Calderone
NEW YORK -- NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel is re-reporting a key detail of his December 2012 kidnapping in Syria after new information surfaced suggesting he may have been misled about the identities of his captors, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Engel is conducting the re-reporting along with his team, and the effort has been ongoing for several weeks. Originally, Engel identified his captors as the shabiha, a shadowy Shia militia acting on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Assad. He is now investigating whether the men were actually Sunni, and if so, whether they were motivated by money or posing as Shia militiamen as part of an anti-Assad propaganda ploy.
The developments bear little resemblance to the controversy surrounding NBC News anchor Brian Williams, who was suspended after falsely claiming to have come under rocket-propelled grenade fire in Iraq and remains the subject of an ongoing network investigation into other allegations about his reporting.
In Williams' case, it is evident that the anchor embellished his experience in a war zone. The question surrounding Engel's war story is not whether he overstated the danger he and his crew were in, but who exactly was responsible for that danger.
There is no doubt that Engel and his crew were at serious risk. On Dec. 13, 2012, he and five crew members were seized in Syria and subjected to psychological torture and abuse during five harrowing days in captivity. What is in dispute, sources say, is not the correspondent's description of what he witnessed during the kidnapping ordeal, but rather his conclusion -- offered in several TV interviews and in a first-person Vanity Fair story -- about his captors' affiliation.
Engel did not respond to an email seeking comment. NBC News declined to comment.
Some observers had indicated skepticism early on about the identity of Engel's captors. The same day Engel surfaced from captivity, California State University professor As'ad AbuKhalil, who blogs at a site called the Angry Arab News Service, expressed doubts that the captors were pro-Assad agents linked to the Iranian government and Hezbollah.
But neither Engel's account nor his conclusion were ever seriously challenged in the news media. After The New York Times began inquiring about details of the kidnapping, according to sources, Engel revisited the ordeal twenty-eight months later to determine who exactly was responsible for the kidnapping .
Engel emerged from captivity on Dec. 18, 2012 and appeared that day on NBC's "Today" show, along with photographer John Kooistra and producer Ghazi Balkiz, two other members of the crew. All six captive journalists had escaped after a firefight the previous night.
On the show, Engel described being kidnapped while traveling in an area of northwest Syria controlled by rebels fighting the Assad regime, part of a bloody conflict in the country that had been going on for nearly two years at that point. Engel said that a group of around 15 gunmen wearing ski masks came out of the trees and detained the journalists as well as the rebel fighters who were escorting them.
"They took us to a series of safe houses and interrogation places and they kept us blindfolded, bound, we weren't physically beaten [or] tortured," Engel said. "It was a lot of psychological torture, threats of being killed. They made us choose which one of us would be shot first. And when we refused, there were mock shootings. They pretended to shoot Ghazi several times."
While kidnappers executed the bodyguard of Abdelrazaq, a rebel commander accompanying the journalists, no one in Engel's crew was seriously harmed.
Engel and his crew hid the fact that they understood Arabic and listened to the kidnappers speaking amongst themselves. He became convinced that his captors were the shabiha.
"These are people who are loyal to President Bashar al-Assad," Engel said in the "Today" show interview. "They are Shiite. They were talking openly about their loyalty to the government, openly expressing their -- the Shia faith. They are trained by Iranian Revolutionary Guard. They are allied with Hezbollah. We were told that they wanted to exchange us for four Iranian agents and two Lebanese people ... These were other shabiha members who've been captured by the rebels. They captured us in order to carry out this exchange."
Engel later elaborated on the experience in other interviews, including one on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," as well as in the Vanity Fair piece he published in early March 2013. He pointed out that Abdelrazaq had wanted to show the TV crew a group of four Iranian and two Lebanese fighters that his fighters had captured, suggesting that these were the same shabiha members that the kidnappers had been talking about getting back.
In Vanity Fair, Engel also described freshly spray-painted graffiti on the walls praising "Assad and the seventh-century Imam Ali, whom Shiite Muslims revere as the rightful heir to the Prophet Muhammad." The captors' graffiti, he wrote, "lionized Imam Ali's mythical sword, Zulfiqar," which is a meaningful symbol for Shia often used in Iran and by Hezbollah.
Some of this graffiti is visible in a video of the men in captivity that was posted online.
AbuKhalil, who expressed doubts in his initial blog post that the captors were, in fact, tied to Iran and Hezbollah, examined the graffiti in a second post. "I looked at the video and it is so clearly a set up and the slogans are so clearly fake and they intend to show that they were clearly Shi'ites and that they are savages," he wrote. "If this one is believable, I am posing as a dentist."
The captors attempted to move Engel's crew from Maarrat Misrin to Foua, a town that was surrounded by Syrian rebels but still receiving supplies by air from the Assad government. Engel described Foua as a Hezbollah stronghold and said he feared the journalists could end up spending years in captivity, perhaps being "helicoptered from there to Beirut or Tehran or Damascus."
But fortunately, they never reached Foua. Syrian rebels stopped the kidnappers at a roadside checkpoint, and after a shootout, Engel's crew was freed. The rebels took the journalists with them and the crew crossed back into Turkey the next day.
Engel appeared certain the shabiha were to blame in his initial accounts. But in light of new questions about the kidnappers, one of Engel's descriptions -- of Abu Jaafar, one of the kidnappers, boasting of plans to kill Sunni women and children and burn their villages -- could be viewed as oddly prescient.
"I had heard shabiha rhetoric like this on Internet videos, but it had never seemed quite real -- more like campy bad-guy dialogue from the movies," Engel wrote in Vanity Fair. "It sounded like he was playing it up for an audience, but nobody was watching except the kidnappers and us."
Michael Calderone
Senior Media Reporter, HuffPost
NBC News Media Middle East Elections 2016 Richard Engel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This Tommy Bahama™ dress is not just for office wear. The easy slip-on style is a nice choice for cocktail hours. Ruching at side brings a wrap-dress feel making you look and feel perfect!
A perfect dress to go from the office to happy hour. We see Tahari by ASL™ petite draped hem crepe dress. A sleeveless design makes it look fresh and feminine. Love its sheath silhouette and round neckline. Look at the bespoke cascading drape detail at front of the skirt. The tulip-style hemline falls above the knees. Just love it! Just don't forget to cover your shoulders with a slim-fit black blazer.
Refine your timeless look with the Karen Kane® color block long sleeve sheath dress. I love the color-block design on a jersey-knit fabrication. It will be a perfect match for Fridays.
Another great way to steal the room is by wearing this dynamic yet feminine Maggy London™ dress. It comes with a classic sheath silhouette, jewel neckline, elbow sleeves, and a defined waist.


Persimmon seeds from the Hillsboro area (central in the county) were medium in color while the fruit pulp was orange – seeds opened contained 6 "Spoons" and 1 "Knife" and 4 unknown.
While this comparison isn't largely different, winter weather in both of these areas tend to be different in precipitation and accumulation. According to the seeds, this year we will be watching for more wet snow with some frigid temps in the west/central parts of the county, while we will be watching for cold-cutting wind with a little less accumulation of wet snow in the northwest part of the county . . .
If the kernel is knife-shaped, expect to be "cut" by icy, cutting winds.
Tip: It's best to use ripe seeds if you check them.


Owner Mike "Bellows" Bulboff was enamoured with the piano accordion ever since he discovered one in his father's attic. What started as a curious hobby led to repairing, teaching, and inevitably a life commitment to the instrument. Following his passion, Mike opened the original location in the historic Italian Market neighborhood of Philadelphia in 2009.
In the years that followed, Mike realized that the future of the accordion depended on building a new generation of repair staff, making the instrument more accessible via the internet, and cultivating a community. Liberty Bellows is committed to accordion so that it will thrive for many generations to come.
We invite you to visit our new location at 614 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19147. We are conveniently located a few minutes from I-95 and a short drive from the Philadelphia International Airport. There are always metered street parking spots available in front of the store. For those of you who are unable to visit our store, we are happy to ship accordions and accessories worldwide.
Take a Virtual Tour of our Store on Google Maps!
Job Description : We are seeking a full time paid summer intern to assist with day to day operations including shipping and receiving, online and in-store inventory, organization, data entry, and customer service.


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Hairenik 120
Hairenik 120th Anniversary
Support the 120th anniversary of the Hairenik Weekly for #GivingTuesday
Next year will mark the 120th anniversary of the Hairenik Weekly. The Hairenik has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the back of an Armenian shoe repair store in New York City. As the eighth oldest ethnic newspaper in the United States, we have documented the Armenian experience in America—often in its staggering proportions—for over a century. And despite rapidly shifting technologies and cultural landscapes, the Hairenik Weekly and its English language counterpart, Armenian Weekly (preparing to celebrate its 85th anniversary) continue to provide you with unique coverage and commentary on Armenian issues that you cannot find anywhere else.
But—as with many alternative news outlets—we need your help to continue to raise the bar. Help us keep our journalism alive and thriving by contributing what you can to our fundraising drive. Your donations not only make our newspaper possible, but also go to funding internships and fellowships for young and aspiring Armenian journalists—paving the way for a just future for Armenians and Americans alike.
Our newspapers have been a valuable source of community journalism for over 100 years—with your help, we can ensure the financial and cultural sustainability of our publication for another 100 more.
Please complete the following form to make your tax-deductible donation to the ACAA in support of the Hairenik Weekly's 120th Anniversary.
All donations are tax deductible.
Sponsorship name to be used
The ACAA sponsors projects both in the Republic of Armenia and the Diaspora such as cultural and educational activities, research on Armenian topics, grants to Armenian newspapers, publications and other media outlets, and internships. It also serves as a repository of historic Armenian national documents and archives.
© 2022 Armenian Cultural Association of America All Rights Reserved.


Toy trains were revolutionized when Märklin, a German company that specialized in doll house accessories, sought to make an equivalent toy for boys where a continuous revenue stream could be ensured by purchasing add-on accessories for years after the first purchase. In addition to boxed sets containing a train and monitor, Märklin offered extra track, rolling stock, and buildings sold separately, creating the predecessor to the modern model train layout featuring scenery and buildings in addition to a working train.
Electric trains adopted, with the first appearing in 1897, produced from the U.S. firm Carlisle & Finch. As home use of power became more common in the early 20th century, electrical trains gained popularity and as time went on, these electrical trains grew in sophistication, gaining lighting, the ability to change direction, to emit a whistling noise, to smoke, to couple and uncouple cars and even load and unload freight. Toy trains from the first half of the 20th century were often made of lithographed tin; afterwards trains were often made mainly of plastic.
Now, S gauge and O gauge railroads continue to be considered toy trains even by their own adherents and are often accessorized with semi-scale model buildings by Plasticville or even K-Line (who owns the rights to the Plasticville-like buildings produced by Marx from the 1950s into the 1970s). However, as a result of their high cost, one is more likely to locate an HO scale or N scale train set at a toy store than an O scale collection.
Many modern electric toy trains contain sophisticated electronics that exude digitized sound effects and allow the operator to securely and easily run several remote control trains on one loop of course. In the last few decades, many toy train operators may operate a train with a TV camera at the front part of the engine and hooked up to a screen, such as pc monitor. This will show an image, like that of a genuine (smaller size) railroad.


Louisville Landing Marina is one of the oldest marinas on the TVA Fort Loudon system. Located at mile marker 625.6, we're proud to have been awarded the TVA Clean Marina designation. This prestigious award certifies that the marina is in compliance with the program's pollution-control standards. We're also a proud member of the Fort Loudon Lake Association and support the organization's efforts to keep the lake and shoreline clean. Why? Because the beauty of the area deserves our best efforts to preserve it.
We offer marina services for storage and operation of recreational and personal watercraft. Our clean, well-maintained facilities are serviced by an outstanding team of customer-focused staff. Come visit us today and take a tour of our marina.


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Female-led deals still achieving lower announcement returns despite higher overall performance, report finds
NESPIX / Shutterstock.com
New report for SS&C Intralinks, co-authored by Bayes Business School, finds negative perception of female-led deals to be unjustified.
Finance Expert Comment
First published Tuesday, 29 March, 2022
by Hamish Armstrong (Senior Communications Officer)
A new report for SS&C Intralinks by Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) into the role of gender diversity in the M&A market has found that despite performing better overall, acquisitions led by female CEOs or companies with at least 30 per cent female representation at board level are still achieving lower announcement returns than those led by males and male-dominated boardrooms.
Dr Valeriya Vitkova, Senior Research Fellow at Bayes, conducted the primary research for the report. 'Gender Diversity and Dealmaking 2022' analyses the impact of female CEOs and the effects of having a diverse boardroom on M&A activity.
Key findings from the report include:
Deals conducted by female CEOs remain less favourably viewed than those conducted by their male counterparts, with acquirer share price returns 1.5 percentage points lower for a 40-day announcement window where the acquirer had a female CEO as opposed to a male.
Despite this, female CEOs and diverse boards produce better results post-deal than their male counterparts across several key indicators. Boards with at least 30 per cent female representation achieved higher share price returns by 7.1 percentage points and higher return on equity by 7.9 percentage points compared to those that did not over a three-year period.
Acquirers led by female CEOs or with a significant female boardroom presence tend to complete a slightly higher proportion of deals at 97 per cent than those that are entirely male-dominated, at 95 per cent. During the pandemic, 100 per cent of female-led deals were completed.
Females and the companies they lead have very different dealmaking characteristics to those of males. The research shows female-led acquirers are more likely to seek external advice, seek out strong growth targets, have lower risk appetite and are more likely to offer assurance, such as inclusion of reverse termination fees, than their male counterparts.
These performance gaps between acquirers led by women and men increased during the pandemic, although the gap has also widened between performance and market perception.
The study used data from publicly-listed acquirers announced between 1 January 2010 and 31 October 2021, and included a sample of 5,047 unique acquirers and 9,529 targets across a total of 11,562 M&A transactions. 1,237 of these deals were initiated by acquirers with boards comprising at least 30 per cent females.
After carrying out the field research, interviews were conducted by Mergermarket with seven influential female executives for their insights on the dealmaking process.
Dr Vitkova said the study highlighted the amount of work still required to change perceptions of women in M&A.
"While demonstrating the undoubted value of diversity in boardrooms, the research shows there is a still a lot of effort required to shift negative perceptions of women in M&A," she said.
"We only have to look at the relative performances of female and male-led acquisitions during the pandemic to realise the significant positive influence that women have in the industry, but the sad reality is that this does not translate into market confidence or valuation.
"The barriers of unconscious bias and historical norms within M&A and the workplace in general must be overcome for the global market to thrive, with legal and advisory structures put in place to provide access to top roles for women alongside men."
Ken Bisconti, Co-Head, SS&C Intralinks, said recent events had impacted greatly on corporate strategies.
"Since our first report on the topic published in early 2020, a pandemic and a turn toward ESG and DEI have transformed corporate strategies," Mr Bisconti said.
"We set out to determine the extent to which gender diversity on public company boards and at CEO levels affects outcomes in M&A deals. What we found is women CEOs not only complete more deals, but gender diversity produces better long-term performance."
'Gender Diversity and Dealmaking 2022' for SS&C Intralinks, co-authored by Dr Valeriya Vitkova is available to download.
Find out more about the Mergers and Acquistions Research Centre (MARC).
Tags: Valeriya Vitkova, M&A, Gender diversity, SS&C Intralinks, Deals, Announcement returns
Seven M&A trends to look out for in 2022
LIAL / Shutterstock.com
Marlboro owner's takeover of Vectura "makes strategic sense"
NESPIX/ Shutterstock.com
Mergers and Acquisitions Research Centre hosts fifth Annual Conference


I had a lot of difficulties finding a reasonable comprehension of the main motive behind Ex President Mahama quest to lead Ghana as President again.
Personally, I feel he did a lot of damage to the country as a President to all sectors; the economy, agriculture, industry, education, services and the general growth of the country.
So, in all fairness, most Ghanaians, including myself least expected and even questioned why Mr. Mahama would want to undertake another quest to lead the NDC and even the country on such an unfortunate mark he left as a President.
But, the long awaited question has been answered; Mr. Mahama during his recent campaign tour meeting with some Members of Parliament of the NDC, he mentioned that, "I believe the NDC will write a page in the history books of Ghana with the reelection of a person who has been president before"
Mr. Mahama is also on mission do a lot of damage to all sectors of our economy, continue highest gross of incompetence and continue the great deal of corruption with impunity.
Some sections of Ghanaian who may have thought Mr. Mahama may be seeking for another opportunity to correct a lot of wrongs would not wonder now, since all he seek to do is make history.
But, I know a lot of discerning Ghanaians would never want the history of corruption with impunity, histroy of 'Dumsor', the history of mismanagement of our economy, an era of create, loot and share and undeniably the worst President in our country's history to write yet another regrettable history.


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Doom (2016) characters, Blazkowicz, Quake characters
Doom Slayer
Night Sentinels/God.
The Doom Slayer (also known by the UAC as DM1-5, DOOM Marine or The Slayer, the Demons of Hell as the Doom Slayer, the Unchained Predator, or the Hell Walker) is the protagonist and playable character in Doom (2016), Quake Champions, and in the upcoming Doom Eternal. He is intended to be the latest iteration and continuation of the classic Doom Marine (B.J. Blazkowicz III) who has been the main protagonist for most the series, and who, according to Tom Hall (who worked on the original Doom), is the son or grandson of Commander Keen.
DOOM 2016 Reboot History
Not much is officially confirmed about the origins of the Doom Slayer. Codex entries suggest that he was the leader of the Night Sentinels of Argent D'Nur. After the city fell and was absorbed into to hell, the Doom Slayer was the last one standing and waged a one man fight against Hell for ages.
UAC REPORT FILE H8UM66S
In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood. Burned by the embers of Armageddon, his soul blistered by the fires of Hell and tainted beyond ascension, he chose the path of perpetual torment. In his ravenous hatred he found no peace; and with boiling blood he scoured the Umbral Plains seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him. He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him... the Doom Slayer
UAC REPORT FILE 9REIZDUR
Tempered by the fires of Hell, his iron will remained steadfast through the passage that preys upon the weak. For he alone was the Hell Walker, the Unchained Predator, who sought retribution in all quarters, dark and light, fire and ice, in the beginning and the end, and he hunted the slaves of Doom with barbarous cruelty; for he passed through the divide as none but demon had before.
UAC REPORT FILE HR93TE1F
And in his conquest against the blackened souls of the doomed, his prowess was shown. In his crusade, the seraphim (angel) bestowed upon him terrible power and speed, and with his might he crushed the obsidian pillars of the Blood Temples. He set forth without pity upon the beasts of the nine circles. Unbreakable, incorruptible, unyielding, the Doom Slayer sought to end the dominion of the dark realm.
UAC REPORT FILE I3S5A9XB
The age of his reckoning was uncounted. The scribes carved his name deep in the tablets of Hell across eons, and each battle etched terror in the hearts of the demons. They knew he would come, as he always had, as he always will, to feast on the blood of the wicked. For he alone could draw strength from his fallen foes, and ever his power grew, swift and unrelenting.
UAC REPORT FILE ZPHVM41A
None could stand before the horde but the Doom Slayer. Despair spread before him like a plague, striking fear into the shadow-dwellers, driving them to deeper and darker pits. But from the depths of the abyss rose The Great One, a champion mightier than all who had come before. The Titan, of immeasurable power and ferocity. He strode upon the plain and faced the Doom Slayer, and a mighty battle was fought on the desolate plains. The Titan fought with the fury of the countless that had fallen at the Doom Slayer's hand, but there fell the Titan, and in his defeat the shadow horde were routed.
UAC REPORT FILE WMHVVFJ
And in his terrible rancor between worlds and through time, the Hell Walker found the wretch who shall not be named, but in his heresy was loyal to his evil cause. The wretch adorned the Doom Slayer in a mighty armor, wrought in the forges of Hell, impenetrable and unyielding. With sword and shield of adamantine strength, the Doom Slayer set to banishing all that were left unbroken by his savagery to the void.
UAC REPORT FILE JSLR7ESL
Yet as the mighty Titan fell and dread engulfed the armies of Doom, the demon priests of the Blood Temples laid a trap to capture this scourge of Hell. Insatiable, even by the vanquishing of the Great One, the Hell Walker sought prey in the tombs of the Blood Keep. And blinded by his fervor, the lure drew him in. The priests brought down the temple upon the Doom Slayer, and in his defeat entombed him in the cursed sarcophagus. The mark of the Doom Slayer was burned upon his crypt, a warning to all of Hell that the terror within must never be freed. There he lies still, and ever more, in silent suffering.
Quake Champions Character Background
The UAC's most remarkable discovery was in Hell's Kadingir Sanctum. Surrounded by nearly impassable terrain, the team discovered a sealed tomb – its entrance and walls covered in protective runes and imprisonment incantations.
The tomb revealed many artifacts, including the Praetor suit. Most notable, however, was an enormous sarcophagus bound to the center bedrock of the tomb with thick iron bands – seemingly anchored to prevent anything from getting in or out.
It was believed this sarcophagus must hold a rare or powerful demon, but when later opened, it revealed the body of a man. Unrelenting; unforgiving; driven by a rage that cannot be contained. The Doom Slayer has been to Hell and brought it to its knees. He has no records, and he seems to vanish as quickly as he appears. The few witness accounts available detail a ruthless killer.[1]
Long ago across worlds and time, in another universe, Doom Slayer (B.J. Blazkowicz III) had become a great hero when he saved earth from an invasion by demons from hell. He continued to carry the left hind foot of his pet rabbit Daisy, killed by the marauding demons when their invasion of Earth began. He carried it as a reminder of innocence lost, not for luck--after all, it wasn't lucky for Daisy[2]. The armor he wore became iconic, and it changed the world.[3]
At some point the wide-eyed Doom Marine, found himself again newly transferred to Mars, the soldier got more than he asked for when Dr. Betruger betrayed the UAC.[4]
During his battles to protect Earth, he found himself trapped in hell fighting an eternal battle with the demons. He would travel across time and worlds to save the multiverse. Sometimes finding himself pulled to battle other Champions from other worlds and alternate earths in the Arena Eternal (in this earlier period, he received new armor, that fit like a glove).[5]. He continued to be a great champion defending many worlds from the demons and killing them in Hell.
The Slayer's Testaments described him as an ancient and mystical time-traveling warrior called the "Doom Slayer" or "Hell Walker" who was either banished to Hell or chose to stay there. The Doom Marine proceeded to rampage his way across Hell for "eons" as an unstoppable force of death and destruction, becoming an icon of fear to all demons.
His one-man war was only ended after he was lured into a trap, allowing the forces of Hell to collapse one of their temples on top of him. Entombed inside a stone sarcophagus, he was sealed away in the Kadingir Sanctum, hopefully forever. Unfortunately for the demons, the Doom Marine's sarcophagus was eventually retrieved by the UAC (on one of the alternate earths) and brought back to Mars. Sure enough, after Hell commences its invasion of Mars, the Doom Marine awakens as bloody-minded as ever. He then arms himself with a pistol, reclaims his Praetor Suit and begins to fight the hordes of hell once more. After he saves Earth, he is captured by Hayden and put into stasis again, while the scientist prepared his next plans.
With regards to Quake canon Champions games are a prequel to the Arena games (Quake III Arena/Live). Though with regards to when the Doom Marine was pulled into the Arena Eternal are roughly switched chronologically. That is that Doom Slayer entered into the Arena Eternal during the earlier Champions competition, whereas an earlier incarnation code-named "Doom" entered in the later Arena competitions.
Personality and traits
Unlike some of his earlier appearances in the series, he shows a little more emotion, expressed more through actions rather than verbally. During his crusade and his interactions with Samuel Hayden (who tries to use and ask the Marine for help) when the latter tries to justifies the UAC's actions in hell as being in mankind's best interests despite the evident risks and aftermath consequences, the Marine responds by angrily dismantling communication equipment at best, and flat destroying key UAC equipment at worst despite Hayden's insistence of not doing so. This makes it clear that the Doom Slayer's motivations and priorities start and end with stopping and killing demons and not for the UAC and their economic interests, and very little for anything else. He does, however, show to be sympathetic to a degree as seen when he made a back-up copy of VEGA before destroying, although this could be attributed to the fact the AI opted to sacrifice itself to aid the Doom Slayer in his quest. As such it can be deduced the Marine can show concern for those that either aid him on his demon slaying mission or otherwise show the necessary resolve to act for the real greater good.
Face and Possible Origins
The Doom Marine's face is obscured, however, the jawline and general structure of his face resemble B.J. Blazkowicz from Wolfenstein: The New Order to some extent. This may be a reference to how the original Doom and Wolfenstein player models were very alike, also having been told to be related somehow.
Strangely the 'Argent' Symbol (commonly associated with Doom Slayer) looks very similar to an angled anchor and lettered versions appear to say either "U N S C" or "U N C S" although this could be purely coincidental, suggesting a possible marine unit insignia.
It is possible the Doom Marine has prior knowledge of Samuel Hayden, smashing the control panel upon Hayden's second sentence, suggesting a possible past between the two, though this may simply indicate the Doom Slayer's disregard for explanations or justifications. More evident is the appearance of various Doomguy dolls in the game (all resembling the Classic Doom armor) with the most recognizable being the Collectible Doomguy doll which is identical to the original Marine armor down to the color scheme, suggesting if the Praetor Suit is, or was built with parts from, a model/variant of Marine armor, and has as such become an Messianic figure of Humanity's dark past with hell.
Eventually, the Doom Slayer's face was released (unofficially) through model and texture "ripping", and shows a remarkable sense of similarity to the Classic Doomguy's face. In classic maps, he uses a texture based on his face from Doom 1.
A life-size statue of Doomguy was made, a picture of which, where John Romero is standing next to it, shows the Doom Marine's face.
Furthermore, the Doom Marine is shown to be somehow connected to an order of "knights" of the world Argent D'Nur, called the Night Sentinels in-game. While the Doom Marine has their symbol on his armor, his armor itself is far different, having a futuristic and military look, whereas the knights have armor closely resembling that of medieval European civilization. Strangely, the Doom Marine fully comprehends English, which would make no sense if he were to be from Argent D'Nur, an "alien planet" where such a language would not exist. It is possible that the Doom Marine is not actually from this world, but rather came here from a different time in the human universe, or from an alternate version of this, to the alien world. It can be assumed he would then have assisted the alien civilization to fight off the demons, which were apparently invading. It also can be suggested that due to the fact he never speaks and seems to not listen to orders, it is possible that the Doom Marine may actually not speak English but is capable of understanding it. Another interesting fact that the Doom Marine is capable of operating hi-tech weapons and machinery produced by the UAC without any difficulty giving his ancient background. According to the Helix Stone and Runes found in Hell, it reveals some parts about the identity of the Doom Marine when it depicts the Doom Marine in the Praetor Suit fighting demons under the supervision of the hooded figure who Hell refers as Seraphim. Hell force even claims that the Seraphim is responsible for giving the Doom Marine strength and speed to fight the demon for eons. This may, in fact, be a representation of the player, who commands the Doom Marine and whose skill give the Doom Marine his strength.
In Doom 3, when you reach the final level you reach an archaeological site, and obtain the soul cube, in the room is a mysterious sarcophagus, and also broken tablets showing classic Doom Marine standing on a mound killing demons. Most of these details seem to be mirrored in the sarcophagus and codex tablets in Doom 2016 as well, as well as also seeing the soul cube in the game.
This list is a possible order of the games
Note according to Quake Champions Doom 3 is supposed to be part of this list, but the exact order is not clear. It could be before classic, after classic (before Doom 64), or possibly even during the period, he was traveling across time and worlds as stated in his bios in Quake 2016 and Quake Champions. If only going by sometimes conflicting dates given during the series and the manuals. Doom-Final Doom can take place in the early 2018-2020s, and Doom 3 takes place over a century later, and Doom 2016 which likely is set in an alternate earth universe is roughly a couple of years after Doom 3. Doom 64 is the only game which the placement is note dated but takes place 'years' after previous "Doom Episodes" (in reference to Doom, Doom II, and Final Doom campaigns). But for the narrative to work short of time travel/paradoxes, the most likely placement of Doom 64 is after Doom 3, since it apparently sets up the events for Doom 2016 (his sarcophagus is discovered in Hell, where he had been fighting an eternal battle before his capture).
Timeline (Theories)
Previous Titles Connected
BEFORE DOOM
An ancient group of warriors called the Night Sentinels existed to combat the forces of Hell and protect the Wraiths. They are betrayed by one of their own, who gave the demons the upper hand in their war against them in return for resurrecting his dead son as the Icon of Sin. This allowed the demons to consume and subjugate their homeland of Argent D'Nur and the Wraiths that protected it. The Night Sentinels are all killed.
Doomguy is taken out of normal duty and shipped to Mars to assist the UAC after assaulting a senior officer for ordering him to engage civilians. B.J. and his squad is sent to Phobos base after the UAC's teleportation experiments go wrong and hell breaks loose on Mars' moons. A team including Doomguy go to check it out, but due to a demonic invasion, everyone but Doomguy dies, so it's up to him to take care of business. Doomguy takes the fight through a portal to Hell where he defeats the Spider Mastermind and returns to Earth. Upon returning to Earth, Doomguy finds it already ravaged by demons, who decapitated his pet bunny, Daisy. He fights the forces of hell the Spider Master Mind had sent through ahead, and takes revenge for his dead pet.
Doom II Intro/Doom 3
Doomguy returns to mars, and as stated in the Doom II manual, he stops an invasion of the red planet.
However Doom II's marine may or may not be the same character or a separate character from the Doom I character depending on different manuals and websites. His backstory differs from that of the original Doom character in that he fought on UAC Mars Base and escaped in a drop ship (mirroring events of Doom 3, and even Doom RPG). Whereas as original Doom character fought in Phobos and Mars and in both original Doom and Ultimate Doom reaches earth via transporter gateways. If taken into consideration the backstory to Doom II might actually be the same events of Doom 3 (placing Doom II after Doom III essentially).
DOOM 2/Final Doom
After the battle in Mars, Doom Marine takes leave and returns to Earth, only to discover it has been invaded.
The survivors plan to flee the planet, but the only remaining functional spaceport is under Hell's control. He fights to take back the spaceport and the remaining humans succeed in fleeing to space. Doomguy then travels to the Demons' entry portal on Earth to close it and succeeds after killing the Icon of Sin. Humanity then returns to Earth to rebuild.
Something survived on Mars' moon, however. The Mother Demon works to resurrect the fallen armies of Hell. Doomguy returns to Mars to take out the trash, journeys into hell again and kills the Mother Demon. This time, however, he closes the portal from the inside. He has decided to remain in Hell to keep the demons from ever escaping it again. It is possible that Doomguy was sent to the first age and Argent D'Nur.
DOOM 2016 Only (Theory)
In the 1st Age, Hell constantly wants to take over the Argent D'Nur to harness the energy and expand their dominion. The Crowned leader of the Night Sentinels loses his son on the battlefield. He betrays the Sentinels and the city by guiding Deag Grav to the Wraiths. The Hell priests put a curse on the wraiths to siphon their energy. His son is returned to him as the Icon of Sin. The Icon of Sin tears the Argent City apart while everyone watched helplessly. Wronged, consumed with rage, seeking vengeance, retribution, and redemption, the Slayer decides to take revenge on Hell. A Seraphim gives him immense power (in Christian mythology, a Seraphim is the highest rank an angel can achieve).
While in Hell, an entity known only as "The Wretch" enhances his armor into the Praetor Suit so that the Doom Slayer can better survive in Hell with his newly obtained inhuman powers. As time may flow differently in this dimension, the Doom Slayer torments Hell for thousands of years. The demons, unable to defeat him, instead devise a way to contain him. After being lured into a trap at Kadingir Sanctum, he is captured by the forces of Hell, separated from his Praetor Suit, and trapped in a sarcophagus, sealed by demonic power.
A demon decides to help him, forging armor for him. He spends eons battling in Hell, choosing the path of perpetual torment. He defeats a Titan in the 3rd Age. He is ambushed in the Kadingir Sanctum and stays in it entrapped in the tomb until Samuel Hayden revives him.
Samuel Hayden retrieved the Doom Slayer from Hell in case the demonic forces escaped onto Mars, which they did. He awakened him to stop a demonic invasion of Mars instigated by his former protege, Dr. Olivia Pierce. He is released from the sarcophagus, supplied with his Praetor Suit, and sent to work. He journeys between worlds, destroying the Gore Nests that serve as Hell's links to our world. Samuel Hayden guides him through slaying the demons on Mars and Hell, equipping him with a dimensional tether allowing him to travel between them. The Doom Slayer, disapproving of Hayden's deadly Hell energy-siphoning operations, destroyed the Argent Energy filters he asked him to carefully remove. The Doom Slayer eventually retrieved the Crucible, used it to free the Wraiths from their subjugation and absorb their Argent Energy, and killed Olivia Pierce. Then Hayden uses the tether to return the Slayer to him, incapacitate him, and take the Crucible from him. Hayden explains that even though his attempts to siphon energy from Hell resulted in massive loss of life, he believes the massive energy crisis on Earth it's solving makes the ends justify the means. He claims that even though the Slayer destroyed the filters, he can rebuild his operation with the Crucible, which he reveals to be a long blade of pure Argent Energy. To prevent the Doom Slayer from trying to stop him, Samuel uses the tether to send him to a place where he can do no harm and where no harm will come to him.
Quake III Arena/Quake Champions
The Doom Slayer is sent to the Arena Eternal, a series of battlegrounds where the Vadrigar has taken the greatest warriors from across time and space, and even parallel universes, to kill each other in endless gladiatorial combat for their amusement. Every time the gladiators are fragged in combat, the Vadrigar revive them so they may fight again. In Quake canon Champions is a prequel to Arena.
The demons have invaded and devastated the Earth, just as they did in Doom 2. After traveling to Earth, the Doom Slayer must use his upgraded Praetor Suit and Super Shotgun, and a wide range of weapons both old and new, to stop them.
Quake Champions - DOOM Slayer - Biography (Lore Scrolls)
The new Quake Arena suggests that Doom Slayer is the original Doom Guy and states that he still carries around hind rabbit's foot made from his rabbit Daisy. The game includes his bio taken directly from Doom (2016) including the Slayer's Testaments.
According to Quake Champions he is the same marine from the Classic Doom games (as well as Doom 3, although he has undergone some changes to physical appearance over time and these are represented by different skins in the game). This is supported by in-game documents found in Hell states that the Doom Marine has traveled through "Worlds and Time" and was described as being extremely powerful and dangerous. The texts also say that the demons have been plagued by him for "eons of time", during which he would have become a legend in their world. Interestingly enough, the Praetor Suit has many similarities to the Marine Armor Doomguy wears in the classic Doom games, even so far as to have company logos, and production numbers located on the armor. This is all despite the fact that the suit is told to have been made in Hell for the Doom Marine to better fight the demon hordes. Contrary to this, there are scriptures that depict the Doom Slayer and he is shown in the Marine Armor that the Doomguy wears, further fueling speculation that the Doom Slayer and the Doomguy are the same person.
In Quake Champions all the marine characters from classic Doom, Quake Arena III/Live, Doom 3, and Doom 2016 are connected as the same character. The 'order' given in the game for the evolution of his 'armor' suggests that classic armor was his first appearance saving earth (it comes with both classic and Doom 64 like changeable elements), Arena might be an earlier armor built after that, and Doom 3 armor is unclear, it could be set at any point in his 'life' and timeline. But the armor lore confirms that at some point he was transferred to Mars, and was betrayed by Dr. Betruger. It could be set before Doom 1, or it could be set after Doom 2, before or after Final Doom. Or perhaps he somehow found a way back to "Earth" or an alternate earth after Doom 64 and got himself transferred back to Mars, where the new event occurred.
Doom Slayer (Hell Walker) also comes with his uniforms Praetor Suit (Doom 2016), Doom Guy (Doom Classic 1/2/Final Doom), Arena (Quake III Arena), and Doom Marine (Doom 3), and nods in the biography that links them all together. Doom Guy armor also includes attachments that are based on the Doom 64 artwork. Each appearance also matches his general facial appearances from each game (while still suggesting he was the same person. The details for the Doom Marine uniform implies that Doom 3 is the first in the series.
Doom Slayer can wear two different vanity items. A backpack with Doomguy Collectable, and a Cacodemon plush headgear.
Badass Incarnate: Having become an icon in gaming, and battling the forces of Hell for decades, has earned the Doom Marine the status of being an absolute badass. This makes him an invincible and unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
Superhuman Abilities: The Doom Marine has shown to possess immense physical Strength, Endurance and Durability, and superior Speed and Stamina. He outmaneuvers his opponents with great speed, avoiding their attacks, and yet is capable of enduring the hits that the Demons are able to land. His strength is sufficient to grapple and overpower superhumanly strong demons in hand-to-hand combat, and perform gory "Glory Kills" to ensure their complete destruction. These abilities are all augmented by the Doom Marines Praetor Suit and are used when fighting against the Demons of Hell.
Destruction Empowerment: The most unique thing about the Doom Marine is his ability to grow stronger and become even more tenacious with every demon he kills. According to the game's lore, this is the result of the Seraphim giving the Doom Marine the ability to absorb the souls of those he killed.
Argent Energy Absorption: The Doom Marine can absorb Argent Energy via his Praetor Suit, which reroutes it throughout the suits subsystems and into his body. This allows him to increase either his Health, Armour or Ammo to maximum levels.
Rune Absorption and Usage: Through some unknown means, the Doom Marine is able to use mystic runes that he gains upon completing trials. Once a trial is complete, the Marine can then use a rune to gain new abilities.
Powerup Usage: Whereas powerups (such as Berserk and Haste) in the game are described as killing or driving human users mad, the Doom Marine can use these without any trouble, sustaining full control and not taking any damage to either his body or mind from using such artifacts multiple times.
Expert Combatant: The Doom marine is a highly trained and experienced combatant, even when lacking ammo and weapons, he can slay demons just with his bare-hands alone, without the need of any melee weapon, he can defeat and tear apart demons far bigger and stronger than him just with his own skills in hand-to-hand combat. With the Praetor suit, these skills are far increased, making him a monster in both armed and unarmed combat.
Weapon Mastery: The Doom Marine is capable of using any weapon or firearm in his possession with master proficiency. He can use all firearms he comes across with great effect, while also upgrading and modifying his arsenal. He is also capable of carrying a vast amount of weapons, carrying up to 12 weapons including special weapons (Chainsaw and BFG) and grenades.
Advanced Intellect: The Doom Marine has shown to possess a high level of intelligence as he is able to use technology from other worlds with no signs of unfamiliarity, despite resorting to violence.
Though it is only told by demonic recordings, the Doom Marine had managed to kill Hell's greatest Champion 'The Titan', indicating how powerful he is and how he became the most feared to be to Hell's Legions.
Praetor Suit
This armor has carried the Doom Slayer through untold horrors. Not even the fires of Hell can stop his advance.
Deep Space Rebreather: Automatically regulates the air mixture for high and low-pressure environments.
High Impact Chest: Snaps into place on the chest to protect the wearer from high impacts.
Performance: Created for the Praetor Suit to maneuver effortlessly while in the air or in a vacuum.
Stabilizers: Helps the wearer to adjust movement while in the air.
Delta Jump-Boots: This early version of the Delta V Jump-Boots were not nearly as compact as the finished model, but the extra mass was still used to adjust movement in the air.
Though bare bones, this early armor fit like a glove.
Helmet Multi-Tool: Multi-tool with laser sighting and headlamp.
Shell Holder: Protect the shoulders from damage and demon blood.
Arm Bandages: Lots of demons require lots of shells. Shotgun ammo should be always on hand.
Thigh plates: Trade carrying space for increased protection.
Combat Knife: Used for last-ditch efforts.
Doom Marine
Recently transferred to Mars, this soldier got more than he asked for when Dr. Betruger betrayed the UAC.
No Helmet: The standard issue space marine helmet is airtight and durable, while still allowing a wide view area.
Flashlight: Pierce the darkness using this high-powered flashlight. Unfortunately, it is quite large and is almost impossible to use while firing.
Spare Mags: Keep ammo close at hand. You're going to need it.
Air Tanks: Doesn't offer additional protection but allows demons to see their death in your eyes.
PDA: Given to you on your first day on Mars. Allows you to read other people's email and hear their personal recordings.
Doom Guy
The original and iconic armor. It forever changed the world.
Classic Face: Relive the old days using the face you know so well.
Down But Not Out: Bruised, beaten, and bloody. This is where the fun starts.
Advanced Helmet: A more sophisticated version of the base helmet.
Bandolier: Ready for war.
Arm Guards: For when fighting demons gets nasty.
Abdominal Plating: For when you need to hide your abs.
Leg Armor: Thick plating for the upper legs.
UAC Riot Greaves: Protects the shins from heavy impacts.
Spare Shells: Keeps shells handy in case of an emergency.
Super Shotgun
El Diablo Shotgun
This alternative to the Super Shotgun is engraved with the images of its victims. Well, after their skin was boiled off.
Doom 2 Shotgun
The DOOM 2 break-action double-barrel Super Shotgun has been to Hell and back. It's old, beaten, and packs a mean punch.
DOOM Volkerh Rune
Doom Goroth Rune
Doom Ithagnal Rune
Doom Cthalha Rune
Doom Mastery Rune
Human or God
The game attempts to leave the DOOM Marine as mysterious as possible and points out that no one knows if he is human, god or some kind of demon. This is never cleared up, but there are many hints to him probably having some more terrestrial origin (and that time travel was involved), but it is never confirmed.
Quake Champions confirms he is the same human Marine from the original Doom.
Doomguy miniature
The DOOM Marine fist bumps his Doomguy counterpart when it is collected, a special animation not shown with any other collectible figure.
Titles and nicknames
Hell Walker
Unchained Predator
Scourge of Hell
Doomguy (collectible model)
DM1-5 (possibly a reference to Doom 1 to 5)[6]
Doom Slayer is the main official title for this character in both Doom (2016) and Quake Champions and is the title used for the Slayer's Testaments.
The title "Doom Marine" or "DOOM Marine" first appears as a title for the main player character appears in earlier material including the Doom RPG website, and the introduction in the Doom 3: BFG Edition manual.
Step into the boots of DOOM Marine and experience his adventures for the first time, or all over again. Featuring enhanced versions of DOOM 3, DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil and the all-new DOOM 3: The Lost Mission, plus the classics DOOM and DOOM II, DOOM 3 BFG Edition is the consummate DOOM experience.[7]
Doom RPG is a first-person turn-based role-playing game set in the Doom universe. Developed specifically for your mobile device, you reprise the role of the Doom Marine made famous in the groundbreaking id Software titles Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3. Say goodbye to humdrum mobile gaming and prepare yourself for the return to Mars in a showdown with the legions of Hell![8]
↑ https://quake.bethesda.net/en?champion=7l9s8ZdPc4USS8E4wOQS0
↑ Quake Champions Doom Slayer Bios Artifact
↑ Quake Champions Outfit information
↑ Quake Champions Doom Marine armor set description.
↑ Quake III Arena/Quake Arena Live/Quake Champions
↑ Quake Champions
↑ Doom 3:BFG edition manual
↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20051217114004/http://www.doomrpg.com/n.x/Doom%20RPG/Home
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Doom (2016) characters
Blazkowicz
Quake characters
3 Doom Eternal