Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death, as there was no unadjudicated claim prior to April 27, 1999.

The deciding factor: The decision was based on the fact that the claim was not submitted within one year after the Veteran's death and thus the effective date is the date of receipt of the claim, which was April 27, 2000. However, benefits may be authorized for a period of one year prior to the date of the claim due to a liberalizing law regarding Agent Orange exposure.

Claimed conditions
lung cancer
How they argued it
Reopened with new and material evidence
Exposure basis
Agent Orange / herbicides
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
March 18, 2009
Citation
0910069

Veterans Law Judge

ANDREW J. MULLEN

Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (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 0910069.

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.

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.