The claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for PTSD was denied as it lacked legal merit.
The deciding factor: The law governing effective dates makes clear that, on facts, the effective date can be no earlier than December 17, 2003, which is the date of the claim. There was no pending claim for PTSD prior to this date.
- Claimed conditions
- post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2009
- Citation
- 0907119
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 PTSD to be readjudicated on the merits due to new and relevant evidence.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an evaluation in excess of 70 percent disabling for service-connected PTSD due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for right hip bursitis, left knee strain, TBI, 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.