Ask most veterans what their effective date is and they shrug. Ask me what matters most in a claim and it is near the top of the list. Under 38 CFR § 3.400, the effective date controls how far back your compensation reaches — and it is not always the day you filed.
The general rule
For most claims, the effective date is the date the VA received your claim, or the date entitlement arose — whichever is later. That is why filing early, and protecting the date with an Intent to File, is so valuable.
The exceptions that reach back further
- A claim filed within one year of discharge can reach back to the day after separation
- Certain increases can reach back up to a year before filing if the worsening is documented
- Liberalizing laws — like new presumptions — carry their own effective-date rules
The date is not always obvious, and the VA does not always assign the most favorable one. We check it on every grant, because a wrong effective date is money left on the table.