The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, finding that the earliest date is January 27, 2020, based on the Appellant's reopened claim. The decision also noted that there was no legal basis to assign an earlier effective date.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the earliest date for service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is January 27, 2020, as it is based on the Appellant's reopened claim. The decision also noted that there was no legal basis to assign an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- Dementia with Lewy bodies, Ischemic heart disease
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2020
- Citation
- A20015976
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R(1) rate due to his need for regular aid and attendance.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings of ischemic heart disease and diabetes, and these claims are dismissed.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension from August 10, 2022, under the PACT Act. The claim for a thyroid disability was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to request a medical opinion on whether service-connected hypertension or ischemic heart disease was a principal or contributory cause of the Veteran's death.
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