The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 18, 1999 for his nonservice-connected disability pension benefits. The evidence showed that entitlement to these benefits arose on or after March 18, 1999.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show a higher degree of severity prior to the March 1999 VA examinations which led to an increased rating for his conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Dysthymic disorder, Blurred vision, Essential thrombocythemia (polycythemia vera), Recurrent major depression, Post traumatic degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 21, 2000
- Citation
- 0033324
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0033324.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as unspecified depressive disorder, unspecified anxiety disorder, and dysthymic disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea based on the evidence being at least evenly balanced.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of psychiatric disabilities to obtain an opinion from a medical examiner.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder with status post stroke and unspecified neurocognitive disorder, speech impairments, bilateral hearing loss, blurred vision, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to readjudicate previously denied claims for service connection due to a lack of new and relevant evidence.
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