The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to August 24, 2014 for service connection of heart disease and SMC at the housebound rate under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s).,The Board found that there was no earlier claim of service connection or entitlement to SMC at the housebound rate prior to August 24, 2014.
The deciding factor: The effective date for an award of service connection is not based on the earliest medical evidence showing treatment or a diagnosis of the disability. The Veteran did not file an earlier claim of service connection for heart disease prior to August 24, 2014.,For SMC at the housebound rate under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s), the effective date is based on the earliest medical evidence showing treatment or a diagnosis of the disability. The September 2019 rating decision granted SMC effective from August 24, 2014, which was exactly one year after the Veteran's initial claim for service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Ischemic heart disease (IHD), including coronary artery disease (CAD) with history of myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure, status post angioplasty and stent placement (heart disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2024
- Citation
- A24063659
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (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 A24063659.
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