Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied the Appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for DIC, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the February 2014 rating decision. The Board also found that July 3, 2017 is the earliest possible effective date for the DIC grant.

The deciding factor: The Appellant did not present evidence of CUE in the February 2014 rating decision and her claim was based on presumptive service connection rather than direct service connection. The Board found that July 3, 2017 is the earliest effective date possible for the DIC grant.

Claimed conditions
heart condition
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
October 28, 2020
Citation
20069970

Veterans Law Judge

D. Martz Ames

Decisions by this judge: 2,170 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20069970.

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.

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.