Effective date

An effective date is the date the VA assigns to a grant of benefits, and it sets when payment for that grant begins. It is decided separately from whether the claim is granted at all. The general rule at 38 CFR 3.400 is the date the VA received the claim, or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later.

The same regulation writes in exceptions, and the filing history usually decides which one applies. A claim for direct service connection received within one year of separation from service can take the day after discharge. An intent to file recorded before the claim can carry the date back to when the VA received the intent. A supplemental claim filed within one year of a prior decision generally preserves the effective date of the earlier claim.

Effective dates turn on documents and filing dates rather than on medical severity, which puts them in the claims lane. The medical record answers a different question, which is what the VA finds about the condition itself. Whether a decision assigned the right effective date is argued by the veteran with their accredited representative or VSO, where the free VSO route is always available.