The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for a mood disorder with depressive features, finding that the earliest possible effective date was August 20, 2004.
The deciding factor: The decision is based on VA regulations which state that the effective date for a grant of service connection on the basis of new and material evidence following a final prior disallowance is the date of receipt of the application to reopen, or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later. In this case, the Veteran's claim was reopened in August 20, 2004.
- Claimed conditions
- mood disorder with depressive features
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 7, 2010
- Citation
- 1000939
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 1000939.
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 an effective date of June 27, 2016, for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability and special monthly compensation.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted an initial 70 percent disability rating for a mood disorder with depressive features from June 22, 2000 until January 1, 2003 and a 100 percent rating from January 1, 2003 until January 25, 2012. The claim for an increased rating was denied for the period starting August 5, 2020.
- Granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates of September 22, 2022, for service connection and increased ratings based on the Veteran's intent to file a claim received on that date.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a low back disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, and right ankle disability. Additionally, the Veteran was granted a 70 percent rating for her mood disorder with depressive features.
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