The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of September 29, 1997 for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The RO accepted his September 1997 claim as a TDIU claim and granted it effective from that date.
The deciding factor: The veteran did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU evaluation at the time of his initial claim in May 1998, but was found unemployable due to nonservice-connected factors. The Board determined that any grant of TDIU should be retroactive to September 20, 1996 when he submitted a private psychological evaluation indicating he had been unable to work since then.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), calcaneal fractures of the ankles
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2004
- Citation
- 0410507
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 0410507.
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, to include unspecified depressive disorder with social anxiety disorder and PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for PTSD to be readjudicated on the merits due to new and relevant evidence.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to or caused by the Veteran's military service.
- Partly granted
The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied, except for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability which were granted. The veteran was also granted service connection for hypertension.
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