The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for Hodgkin's disease with splenectomy and liver function test abnormalities was denied as he filed his first claim well after one year following his discharge from service, and the earliest effective date permissible under VA regulations is January 14, 1994.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not file a timely appeal of the July 1982 rating decision denying his initial claim for Hodgkin's disease. The February 3, 1994 regulation providing for presumptive service connection due to exposure to herbicides was effective on that date, and an earlier effective date is not established under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Hodgkin's disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2006
- Citation
- 0637505
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 0637505.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and various increased rating claims, as well as effective date claims, while remanding the claim for service connection for Hodgkin's disease.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease. The Board found that the VA did not adequately address the veteran's claimed exposures and symptoms.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection of b-cell leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, lymphosarcoma, and soft tissue sarcoma due to herbicide exposure. The Veteran served in Vietnam during the period when Agent Orange was used.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for b-cell leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, lymphosarcoma, and soft tissue sarcoma due to a failure of the VA examinations to address evidence related to enlarged lymph glands.
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