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Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a permanent and total disability rating for non-service-connected pension benefits, finding that the earliest date that may be assigned is January 21, 1998, which is when the reopened claim was received.

The deciding factor: The Board found that the prior denial of the veteran's claim became final due to his failure to file an appeal within the time period allowed. Therefore, the effective date for the award of pension benefits could not be earlier than January 21, 1998.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
October 24, 2002
Citation
0214909

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 0214909.

What this means for you

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