The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, finding that March 29, 1999 is the earliest possible effective date based on service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the October 1988 application for burial benefits did not constitute a claim for DIC benefits and that an earlier effective date cannot derive from this application. The initial informal claim for DIC was submitted in March 2000, more than one year after the amendment of VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- carcinoma of the lung
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2002
- Citation
- 0214410
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 0214410.
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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability, and the Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of his death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran is requesting that the AOJ adjudicate whether revision of a March 2006 rating decision which awarded a 100 percent disability rating for carcinoma of the liver and carcinoma of the lung, resulting in the continuation of SMC (L) for aid and attendance, is warranted due to clear and unmistakable error. The Board finds this constitutes pre-decisional error and remands the matter.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's lung cancer and death, specifically related to his exposure at Camp Lejeune.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected carcinoma of the lung with post-operative right upper lobectomy and COPD was denied as his FEV-1/FVC readings were not less than 55 percent, which is required for a higher rating.
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