The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the addition of his dependent spouse to his compensation benefits is denied. The earliest possible effective date is March 23, 2009, as this award was made based on evidence received within a year of notification of the rating action.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's marriage and dependency were not recognized until after the effective date of the award, making an earlier effective date inapplicable under VA regulations.
- Claimed conditions
- Dependent Spouse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1607857
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 1607857.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the overpayment amount was incorrectly calculated and should be reduced from $23,674.92 to $2,550. The Veteran's waiver claim is also remanded for further review by COWC.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for additional compensation for a dependent spouse is granted as of November 7, 2012.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for dependency benefits for her new spouse, J.L.T., is denied because she did not notify VA of her marriage within one year of the event.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim to add his spouse, L., as a dependent spouse was granted effective from August 8, 2011. The Board found that the earliest effective date available under the law is August 8, 2011.
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