The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of DIC based on service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, as VA did not have a duty to send a DIC form until May 2023.
The deciding factor: VA did not have an obligation under 38 C.F.R. § 3.150(b) to send the appellant a DIC form until December 2022, and she submitted her application within one year of that letter.
- Claimed conditions
- Bladder cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 20, 2025
- Citation
- A25045123
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bladder cancer, diabetes mellitus, type 2, and an acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder), but denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for bladder cancer as there was no evidence of voiding dysfunction or renal dysfunction, and the GFR was over 90.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for coronary artery disease, service connection for bladder cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of February 27, 2017, for the award of special monthly compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of creative organ.
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