The Veteran's total combined rating reached 100 percent on September 21, 2020, which is the effective date for his basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The appeal is denied as the criteria for an earlier effective date are not met.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's total combined rating did not reach 100 percent until September 21, 2020, when he was granted service connection for bilateral hip and knee disabilities that increased his total combined rating to 100 percent.
- Claimed conditions
- bilateral flat foot disability, bilateral hip disabilities (hips), bilateral knee disabilities (knees)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- March 27, 2024
- Citation
- A24014957
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 A24014957.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claims for increased ratings for left knee posttraumatic arthritis and bilateral flat foot disability, finding that the evidence did not support higher ratings.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for service connection for right ankle, left ankle, and bilateral flat foot disabilities. The claim for TDIU was denied for both periods.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his bilateral foot and knee disabilities due to procedural errors in the April 2022 decision, including failing to address the Veteran's July 2019 hearing testimony regarding loss of reflexes and control of feet, and VA's duty to notify and assist.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to new evidence being obtained by VA, and the RO should review this additional evidence and provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
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