The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for the Veteran's disabilities and ancillary compensation benefits, finding that August 8, 2023, was correctly assigned as the effective date.

The deciding factor: The Board found that the August 8, 2023, effective date for the grant of service connection for the Veteran's disabilities was correctly assigned based on the receipt of his intent to file a claim and formal claim within the extended deadline period under the PACT Act.

Claimed conditions

prostate cancer with kidney cancer, anxiety disorder with other specified depressive disorder, erectile dysfunction, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), left hip trochanteric pain syndrome, right hip trochanteric pain syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 2, left hip pain adduction/abduction, left hip pain limitation of extension, right hip pain adduction/abduction, right hip pain limitation of extension, thyroid cancer, degenerative arthritis with degenerative disc disease (DDD) and intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the femoral nerve, left lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the femoral nerve, right lower extremity radiculopathy affecting the sciatic nerve, special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status, SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ, Dependents' Educational Assistance

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

October 28, 2025

Citation

A25093425

Want to see how appeals like this one tend to go? Appeals like mine