I'm converting an Access VBA app to VB.NET. It has dates defined as variants or objects to handle null values. I thought this would be a great chance to use the Nullable type. But I can't get it to work. Either it is inappropriate for what I am trying to use it for, or I am doing it wrong. Anyone know how to use it? Reader is a SqlDataReader.

Code:
mdtDeniedDate = DirectCast(Reader("DeniedDate"), DateTime?)
OR

Code:
mdtDeniedDate = CType(Reader("DeniedDate"), DateTime?)
The field returns
{System.DBNull}
System.DBNull: {System.DBNull}
And I just get the error "Specified cast is not valid."

Declaration:
Code:
Private mdtDeniedDate As DateTime?
Even the statement
Code:
mdtDeniedDate = Reader("DeniedDate")
Returns an error 'System.DBNull' cannot be converted to 'Date'.

I was hoping I didn't have to put a lot of If .. Null statements throughtout the code, but that is my only option unless someone has any other idea.