The Veteran's claim for service connection for anxiety disorder was denied in September 1971 and February 1972. He did not appeal these decisions, making them final. In October 2002, he filed a petition to reopen his claim, which resulted in the grant of service connection for anxiety disorder retroactively effective from October 8, 2002.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's initial claims were denied due to lack of evidence linking his current condition to his military service. The subsequent decisions became final as he did not appeal them within one year.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- December 13, 2010
- Citation
- 1046458
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 1046458.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial ratings for anxiety disorder and TBI were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Denied
The Board denied eligibility to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in a March 2024 rating decision because the March 2024 rating decision was an initial decision granting service connection for anxiety disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted, and service connection for IBS as secondary to anxiety disorder is granted. Service connection for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is denied due to lack of presumptive basis. Service connection for CHF with bradycardia and pacemaker as secondary to hypertension is granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected major depression and anxiety disorder are considered part of his service-connected peripheral neuropathy, which already qualifies him for SMC(l). Therefore, he is not eligible for a higher rate of SMC.
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