Citation Nr: A25029068 Decision Date: 03/28/25 Archive Date: 03/28/25 DOCKET NO. 250220-519209 DATE: March 28, 2025 ORDER The request for a correction of payment (or "audit of benefits") is dismissed. FINDINGS OF FACT 1. In an August 2024 rating decision, the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) granted entitlement to service connection for PTSD at a 30 percent rating, effective November 19, 2021. 2. In a February 2025 VA Form 10182, the Veteran did not express disagreement with either the rating or the effective date established in the August 2024 rating decision; rather, the Veteran indicated that he had not received retroactive payment for his PTSD disability dating back to the November 19, 2021 effective date. 3. To date, the AOJ has not conducted an audit of the Veteran's benefits or notified the Veteran of the results of such an audit. 4. Since the Veteran has not expressed disagreement with a decision by the AOJ, there is no question of law or fact presently before the Board. CONCLUSION OF LAW The Board lacks jurisdiction over the request for an audit of benefits. 38 U.S.C. §§ 7104, 7105; 38 C.F.R. § 20.104. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from October 1965 to October 1985. 1. Entitlement to retroactive payment for the award of service connection for PTSD As a matter of background, the Veteran submitted a notice of intent to file a claim in November 2021. The Veteran then submitted a completed claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder in January 2022-within one year of the notice of intent to file. Ultimately, the agency of original jurisdiction (AOJ) denied the claim. The Veteran appealed that denial to the Board. In June 2023, the Board remanded the claim for further development, and in August 2024, the AOJ issued a rating decision granting entitlement to service connection for PTSD. In that rating decision, the AOJ established an effective date for service connection of November 19, 2021, corresponding with the date VA received the Veteran's notice of intent to file a claim. In February 2025, the Veteran submitted a VA Form 10182. This form is used to appeal an AOJ decision to the Board. On the VA Form 10182, the Veteran listed the issue on appeal as "PTSD Retro/back pay" and referred to an attachment. In a statement accompanying the VA Form 10182, the Veteran reported that he received his first payment for his PTSD disability on August 1, 2024, but that he had not received the 44 months of back pay dating to November 2021. Based on this statement, it does not appear that the Veteran takes issue with any aspect of the findings made in the August 2024 rating decision. Rather, it appears that the relief the Veteran seeks is an audit of benefits. However, the AOJ has not performed an audit or issued an appealable decision on that issue. The Veteran may request an audit of benefits directly with the AOJ by contacting the Veterans Benefits Administration or contacting the VA benefits hotline for additional information. If, after the AOJ conducts an audit, the Veteran is dissatisfied with the audit, he may then submit a VA Form 10182 and identify the audit results as the decision he is appealing to the Board. At the present time, however, as it stands, there is no question of law or fact presently before the Board. Therefore, the Board does not have jurisdiction of the Veteran's appeal. 38 U.S.C. §§ 7104, 7105; 38 C.F.R. § 20.104. As there is no question of law or fact before the Board, the appeal in this matter must be dismissed. Id. B. D. WATSON Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board M. Giaquinto The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.