The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of major depressive disorder associated with HIV and neurosyphilis was denied as there is no evidence of an earlier unadjudicated claim.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence of an earlier unadjudicated formal or informal claim in this case seeking service connection for depression.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depressive Disorder, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Neurosyphilis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 3, 2015
- Citation
- 1546439
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 1546439.
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 Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for treatment purposes only for PTSD and remanded the claim of service connection for treatment purposes only for HIV.
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