The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of residuals of bladder cancer is denied as there was no prior communication from the Veteran before April 13, 2010. The Board found that the Veteran did not submit a formal or informal claim for service connection prior to this date.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim was received on April 13, 2010, and there is no evidence of any communication from the Veteran before this date that can be interpreted as an informal or formal claim for service connection. The effective date cannot therefore be earlier than April 13, 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19105897
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19105897.
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 Veteran's appeal for service connection for residuals of bladder cancer is dismissed as the claim has been granted. The issues of service connection for colon and lung cancers are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for residuals of bladder cancer is dismissed because the March 2025 rating decision was a purely ministerial implementation of the March 2025 Board decision.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for residuals of bladder cancer and erectile dysfunction as secondary to the now service-connected bladder cancer.
- Granted
The Veteran is entitled to an effective date of March 13, 2012, for his claim of entitlement to service connection for residuals of bladder cancer.
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.