The Board found that the veteran's original December 1984 claim for service connection for a nervous condition was denied in April 1985. The veteran did not appeal this decision and his June 1987 request to reopen the claim was also denied due to failure to prosecute. His March 14, 1995 application to reopen led to the award of service connection for schizoaffective disorder with depressed mood effective from that date.
The deciding factor: The veteran's original December 1984 claim was not appealed and his June 1987 request to reopen was denied due to failure to prosecute. Therefore, March 14, 1995 is the earliest effective date allowed under VA regulations for reopening a previously denied claim.
- Claimed conditions
- schizoaffective disorder with depressed mood
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 7, 2006
- Citation
- 0638069
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 0638069.
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
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.