The Board denied a request for an earlier effective date for nonservice-connected pension benefits, finding that the earliest date of formal claim was October 15, 2013. The Veteran's informal claims for health financial assistance and medical care in 1975 and 1976 were not considered as they did not indicate intent to apply for VA pension. The Board also found no evidence of physical or mental incapacity preventing the filing of a claim earlier.
The deciding factor: The earliest date of formal claim was October 15, 2013, and there is no evidence of an informal claim prior to this date. Additionally, there is no evidence of physical or mental incapacity preventing the filing of a claim earlier.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19113430
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,341 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19113430.
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.
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- Whole decision: Denied
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- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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