Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 1, 2003, for adding additional benefits for his spouse. The decision states that the earliest possible effective date is March 1, 2003.

The deciding factor: The effective date cannot be earlier than March 1, 2003, as it must be the latest of four possible dates: the date of claim, the date dependency arose, the effective date of the qualifying disability rating, and the date of commencement of the veteran's award. The earliest possible effective date is therefore March 1, 2003.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
January 5, 2006
Citation
0600158

Veterans Law Judge

KATHLEEN K. GALLAGHER

Decisions by this judge: 1,013 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0600158.

What this means for you

A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.

What you can do next

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.