The Board denied an effective date prior to September 27, 2018 for the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to a lack of timely filing.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not file a claim of service connection for cause of death until nearly two years after the Veteran’s death and no other prior communication was found that may reasonably be construed as a formal or informal claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Claimed conditions
- Cause of death
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20013341
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 20013341.
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.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection for the cause of death due to lack of receipt within one year of the Veteran's death.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to consider new evidence regarding toxic exposure at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and to issue another TERA memo.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's cause of death is not service-connected, and now requires further review to ensure proper notification regarding a hearing.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) has been dismissed as moot due to the grant of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.
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