The Board denied the Appellant's request for an earlier effective date for the Veteran's service-connected mitral valve regurgitation with congestive heart failure, finding that the appeal is a freestanding claim for an earlier effective date which must be denied as a matter of law.
The deciding factor: The August 2003 rating decision granting service connection and assigning an effective date of June 18, 2002, became final due to lack of timely appeal. The Board found that the Appellant's claim for an earlier effective date is not a valid claim as it must be denied as a matter of law.
- Claimed conditions
- mitral valve regurgitation, congestive heart failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066433
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,038 · Granted: 30% (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 20066433.
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).
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- Whole decision: Denied
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