The Veteran's death was recognized within one year of the initial report, and the effective date for the award of DIC benefits is set at October 1, 2017, the first day of the month of the Veteran's death. The appellant's claim for accrued benefits included a claim for DIC.
The deciding factor: The appellant's claim was received within one year of the initial report of the Veteran's death and VA failed to furnish the appropriate application form for DIC after notification of the Veteran's death as required by regulations, leading to the waiver of the claims processing rule.
- Claimed conditions
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2026
- Citation
- A26013078
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 A26013078.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim of entitlement to SMC based on the need for aid and attendance for the Veteran's spouse due to conflicting information in the June 2025 examination. A VA examination is needed to determine if the spouse requires regular aid and attendance.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not due to a service-connected disability.,The Veteran did not meet the qualifications for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1318.
- Denied
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- Remanded (sent back)
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