The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than February 20, 2012 for the grant of service connection for ischemic cardiomyopathy status post myocardial infarction was denied. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date provided by law is February 20, 2012 due to the Veteran not having a claim for ischemic heart disease denied between September 1985 and May 1989 or having a pending claim of service connection for an ischemic heart disease between May 1989 and August 31, 2010. The Board also found that VA treatment records from July 2009 through December 2010 were not associated with the claims file.
The deciding factor: The effective date of an award of service connection is based on when the application for service connection was filed, not when a diagnosis was made or when treatment began. The Veteran did not have a claim for ischemic heart disease denied between September 1985 and May 1989 or having a pending claim of service connection for an ischemic heart disease between May 1989 and August 31, 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic cardiomyopathy, Myocardial infarction
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- October 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18144636
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 18144636.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of sufficient evidence addressing all contentions.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a cardiovascular disability, secondary to hypertension, but denied a compensable rating and an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating higher than 60 percent for the Veteran's heart disabilities and granted service connection for major vascular neurocognitive disorder, but denied special monthly compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l).
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded due to incomplete research on potential herbicide exposure and missing mental health records.
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