The Board denied the appellant's request for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits, stating that VA was not required to notify her of potential benefits due to her call informing them of the veteran's death.
The deciding factor: VA did not have a duty to inform the appellant about potential DIC benefits as she had already called to report the veteran's death and thus had apparent entitlement to such benefits.
- Claimed conditions
- cancer of the lung, metastasis
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2005
- Citation
- 0501443
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,374 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0501443.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the development conducted does not comply with the July 2021 Board remand and requires an addendum VA medical opinion to address the Veteran's cervical cancer and metastasis.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cancer.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for further action due to an inadequate examination report regarding the relationship between the Veteran's renal cell carcinoma and lung metastasis, as well as its relation to herbicide agent exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with metastasis, cause of death, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The issues are related to the Veteran's in-service exposures to chemicals/toxins and bodily fluids.
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