The Board denied a request for an effective date prior to September 1, 2015, for the addition of the Veteran's spouse as his dependent to his VA compensation benefits. The decision states that no claim was received by VA within one year of the event and thus the earliest possible effective date is September 1, 2015.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no indication in the electronic claims file that VA was aware of the Veteran's marriage to his spouse prior to August 4, 2015, when a completed form for adding dependents was received. The earliest effective date under the law is September 1, 2015.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161494
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 19161494.
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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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.