The Board has granted an effective date of October 1, 2000 for the award of additional compensation benefits for a dependent spouse. The veteran's older son is recognized as his dependent child from October 1, 1978 until he turned 18 or completed education at age 23, while recognition of the younger son as a dependent child was denied.
The deciding factor: The effective date of October 1, 2000 for additional compensation benefits is based on the liberalizing law enacted in October 1978 which provided for increased compensation for dependents with service-connected disabilities rated at least 30 percent. The veteran's older son was recognized as a dependent child until he turned 18 or completed education, while his younger son did not meet the criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive lung disease, rib resection, residuals of exploratory surgical procedure of the right ear with hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- January 5, 2005
- Citation
- 0500172
Veterans Law Judge
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0500172.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his COPD with ILD, specifically bronchiectasis and pulmonary nodules as it is a freestanding claim that cannot be filed after a final decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's death is attributed to multiple conditions, including chronic obstructive lung disease. The Board has decided that the service connection for the cause of death must be remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for bronchiectasis and CVID on a direct basis, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities began during active service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities require regular aid and attendance, which grants entitlement to special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance. The issue of entitlement to special monthly compensation at a housebound rate is moot due to the grant of aid and attendance.
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