The Board denied the appellant's claim for an effective date earlier than February 10, 1999 for the award of DIC benefits. The decision stated that her October 1997 informal claim was considered abandoned and her January 1998 and January 1999 letters were not received by the RO.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not submit a formal application within one year after her October 1997 informal claim, which was considered abandoned. Her subsequent communications in January 1998 and January 1999 were also not received by the RO.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2002
- Citation
- 0203011
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0203011.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
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