The Board has determined that an effective date earlier than December 1, 1998 for the award of DIC benefits is not warranted due to the appellant's failure to file a claim prior to that date.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not submit a formal or informal claim for DIC benefits prior to December 1, 1998, and therefore, an earlier effective date cannot be granted.
- Claimed conditions
- rheumatic valvulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- July 25, 2001
- Citation
- 0119328
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0119328.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for heart condition, finding that his rheumatic valvulitis preexisted service and was not aggravated by service. The Board also found no evidence of any increase in severity beyond natural progression during service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a medical opinion to determine if his rheumatic valvulitis preexisted service and was not aggravated by service, and whether he currently has a heart disorder attributable to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a medical opinion to determine if his rheumatic valvulitis preexisted service, if there is clear and unmistakable evidence that it did not permanently increase in severity during service, and if it is at least as likely as not attributable to service.
- Denied
The Board found that there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to show that the Veteran's current heart disability was aggravated by service, nor does he have a currently diagnosed heart disability related to his military service. The claim for service connection for a heart disability has been denied.
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