The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than December 5, 2017 for the grant of service connection for specific phobia is denied. The effective date will be fixed based on the facts found and not earlier than the date of receipt of application.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not file a formal application for an acquired psychiatric disorder prior to December 15, 2017, which is the date he filed his claim.
- Claimed conditions
- Specific Phobia, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (claimed as Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks, and Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- September 24, 2019
- Citation
- A19001482
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 A19001482.
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 has remanded the cases for further action due to procedural errors and the need to obtain additional medical records.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for specific phobia, diabetes mellitus, and DEA eligibility while granting a higher rating for prostate cancer residuals.
- Granted
The Veteran's specific phobia, gas mask-specific condition is granted a 50 percent disability rating from the date of his claim.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for specific phobia, which is considered as part of his original claim for PTSD, has been granted. The effective date is set at August 9, 2019.
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