The Veteran's initial claim for service-connected Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depressive Disorder was granted with an effective date of October 21, 2014. The rating assigned was 30 percent before October 28, 2015, and increased to 50 percent thereafter. However, the Veteran contests the effective date and seeks a higher initial rating for his service-connected psychiatric disorder for the entire appeal period.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's intent regarding the effective date is unclear, leading to remand for clarification of his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 9, 2018
- Citation
- 18140835
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 18140835.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and GAD, as well as tinnitus.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including a generalized anxiety disorder as the evidence did not support a finding that such condition was incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and foot disabilities. The claim for NSC pension benefits was dismissed as moot due to a higher disability rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability from March 8, 2010, to May 19, 2014, and denied a higher rating thereafter.
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