The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for schizoaffective disorder was denied as the earliest possible effective date is the date of receipt of the reopened claim, September 10, 2002.
The deciding factor: The law provides that the earliest effective date that may be assigned for the grant of service connection for the veteran's schizoaffective disorder is the date of receipt of the reopened claim on September 10, 2002.
- Claimed conditions
- schizoaffective disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2009
- Citation
- 0903073
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed alternatively as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, due to an inadequate VA examiner's opinion and a failure to fulfill the duty to assist in obtaining relevant medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent for schizoaffective disorder to ensure proper notice and a new VA psychiatric examination.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of December 10, 1985, for the grant of service connection for schizoaffective disorder based on newly received and relevant service department records.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include schizoaffective disorder and PTSD.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.