The Board dismissed the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for DIC benefits based on a grant of service connection for the cause of her husband's death, finding that there was no freestanding claim and dismissing as a matter of law.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence to support a claim for an earlier effective date before April 17, 2000, as the appellant did not file any claims or correspondence prior to this date.
- Claimed conditions
- Melanoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20007777
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for residuals of a skin condition, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a heart disability, kidney tumor, melanoma, back disability, and bilateral hearing loss to correct duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including hearing impairment, tinnitus, hypertension, Parkinson's disease, hypothyroidism, melanoma, acne, COPD, and left and right foot disabilities.
- Denied
The appeal for an increased evaluation for PTSD with major depressive disorder and psychotic features was denied, while the appeals for service connection for COPD, glioblastoma, and melanoma were withdrawn by the Veteran.
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