The veteran requested to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for chronic bronchitis with bronchiectasis. The RO granted this request and awarded service connection effective October 15, 1996. The veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date is denied.
The deciding factor: The earliest possible effective date for the award of service connection is October 15, 1996, as that was the date of receipt of the request to reopen a previously denied claim.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic bronchitis with bronchiectasis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 12, 2006
- Citation
- 0610529
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · 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 0610529.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal on all issues listed.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's erectile dysfunction was caused by his service-connected chronic bronchitis with bronchiectasis, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for chronic bronchitis with bronchiectasis is denied. The earliest possible effective date is October 15, 1996.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a pulmonary examination to determine the severity of his chronic bronchitis with bronchiectasis.
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.