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
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A19001482.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to procedural errors and the need to obtain additional medical records.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for specific phobia, diabetes mellitus, and DEA eligibility while granting a higher rating for prostate cancer residuals.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's specific phobia, gas mask-specific condition is granted a 50 percent disability rating from the date of his claim.
- Whole decision: 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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