The Board denied the appellant's request for an effective date earlier than February 12, 2007, for award of DIC benefits. The claim was originally denied in July 1998 and October 2001, but reopened in September 2005 where it was again denied in January 2006. The appellant filed another reopening request in February 2007 which was granted.
The deciding factor: The effective date for the award of DIC benefits is determined to be the date of receipt of the application to reopen, or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. In this case, the earliest possible effective date is February 12, 2007.
- Claimed conditions
- Cause of death
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2018
- Citation
- 1814569
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1814569.
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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of receipt within one year of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to consider new evidence regarding toxic exposure at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and to issue another TERA memo.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's cause of death is not service-connected, and now requires further review to ensure proper notification regarding a hearing.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) has been dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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