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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date of DIC benefits, finding that the veteran was not entitled to any VA benefits at the time of his death and thus there were no potential benefits of which to notify the appellant.

The deciding factor: The law as in effect at the time did not afford the veteran entitlement to either pension or compensation benefits based on the evidence then of record, and the appellant is precluded by law from alleging clear and unmistakable error (CUE) regarding the RO's January 1994 adjudication.

Claimed conditions
lung cancer, liver cancer
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
June 27, 2002
Citation
0206967

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 0206967.

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).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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