Case Summary:

James E. Miller is a veteran who sought to obtain an earlier effective date for service-connected disability benefits for a heart disorder, based on VA proceedings that began in the 1970s. In 1978, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals considered his claim, and in 1980 the VA sent him a letter requesting new and material evidence relating to that decision. Years later, Miller argued that the earlier VA and Board actions concerning his heart condition should not be treated as final and that, at the time of those decisions, he had no access to judicial review of VA determinations.