The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of multiple myeloma was denied as the earliest possible effective date is February 21, 2006.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for SMC was also denied because he did not meet the requirement of having a single disability rated at 70% or more.
The deciding factor: An effective date prior to February 21, 2006 cannot be awarded as multiple myeloma became presumptively associated with herbicide agent exposure on June 9, 1994. The earliest possible effective date is the date of receipt of claim or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later.,The Veteran did not meet the requirement for an earlier effective date for SMC as he did not have a single disability rated at 70% or more.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Myeloma
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 2, 2021
- Citation
- 21040264
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 21040264.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's multiple myeloma is rated as noncompensable, and the Board has determined that the disability picture does not adequately contemplate his symptoms of fatigue. The VA examiner noted marked interference with employment due to fatigue. Therefore, the claim for an increased rating is remanded for consideration of extraschedular considerations.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's death was caused by multiple myeloma, which is presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand during the Vietnam War. The Board granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death based on this presumption.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to December 2023 is remanded due to the presence of a 100% disability rating for multiple myeloma starting from December 21, 2023. The Board finds that the Veteran has not met the schedular criteria for a schedular TDIU rating and refers the case for extraschedular consideration.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for fatigue, dizziness, and chronic kidney disease secondary to the Veteran's service-connected multiple myeloma due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error.
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