The Board denied the veteran's claims for an effective date prior to March 21, 1996 for the grant of service connection for dysthymic disorder and for evaluations in excess of 30 percent for dysthymic disorder, as well as for degenerative changes of the left and right wrists due to rheumatoid arthritis.
The deciding factor: The Board found that new evidence did not warrant a higher effective date or increased disability ratings.
- Claimed conditions
- dysthymic disorder, duodenal ulcer, degenerative changes of the left wrist due to rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative changes of the right wrist due to rheumatoid arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2006
- Citation
- 0634008
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,547 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0634008.
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 Veteran's service connection claims for various conditions, including adjustment disorder, benign skin lesions, actinic keratosis, poikiloderma, porokeratosis, Parkinson's disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, hypertension, increased urinary frequency, diverticulosis, duodenal ulcer, and bilateral cataracts are all granted due to exposure to herbicide agents, mustard gas, and ionizing radiation during service.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and duodenal ulcer have been dismissed as the appeal was made concurrently with a previously pending supplemental claim.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed stomach condition. The claim will be reconsidered with new evidence and reasoning.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.