The Veteran's son was not found to be permanently incapable of self-support at the age of 18, and thus is not considered a helpless child for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or death pension benefits. The appellant also did not file a timely claim for accrued benefits within one year after his father's death.
The deciding factor: The appellant was over 23 years old at the time of filing and could only be considered a helpless child if he met VA’s definition, which he did not as there is no evidence that he was permanently incapable of self-support prior to reaching 18 years of age.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 24, 2019
- Citation
- 19105352
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
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