38 U.S.C. § 5113: Effective dates of educational benefits

Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), effective dates relating to awards under chapters 30, 31, 32, 34, and 35 of this title or chapter 106 of title 10 shall, to the extent feasible, correspond to effective dates relating to awards of disability compensation. When determining the effective date of an award under chapter 35 of this title for an individual described in paragraph (2) based on an original claim, the Secretary may consider the individual’s application as having been filed on the eligibility date of the individual if that eligibility date is more than one year before the date of the initial rating decision. submits to the Secretary an original application for educational assistance under chapter 35 of this title within one year of the date that the Secretary makes the rating decision; claims such educational assistance for pursuit of an approved program of education during a period preceding the one-year period ending on the date on which the application was received by the Secretary; and would have been entitled to such educational assistance for such course pursuit if the individual had submitted such an application on the individual’s eligibility date. The term “eligibility date” means the date on which an individual becomes an eligible person. The term “eligible person” has the meaning given that term under subparagraphs (A), (B), (D), and (E) of section 3501(a)(1) of this title . The term “initial rating decision” means with respect to an eligible person a decision made by the Secretary that establishes (i) service connection for the death of the person from whom such eligibility is derived or (ii) the existence of the service-connected total disability permanent in nature (or, in the case of a person made eligible under section 3501(a)(1)(E), the total disability permanent in nature incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, air, or space service) of the person from whom such eligibility is derived, as the case may be. The effective date of an adjustment of benefits under any chapter referred to in subsection (a) of this section, if made on the basis of a certification made by the veteran or person and accepted by the Secretary under section 3680(g) of this title , shall be the date of the change. are received on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 1, 2000 ]; or on the date of the enactment of this Act, are pending (A) with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or (B) exhaustion of available administrative and judicial remedies.”