The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied, and the Board found that no earlier effective date could be assigned as the earliest claim received was on September 17, 1999.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the evidentiary burden to establish all elements of a service connection claim for PTSD the first time he filed his claim as he failed to show a verified stressor. The effective date could only be assigned based on the earliest received claim, which was September 17, 1999.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19136127
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,451 · Granted: 22% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19136127.
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: Granted
The Board has granted a TDIU effective as of September 25, 2020, but not earlier. The Veteran's marginal income and service-connected disabilities precluded him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was initially denied in November 2023, but granted with an effective date of July 18, 2024. The Board has now determined that the correct effective date should be July 13, 2023, based on continuous pursuit and the Veteran's earlier diagnosis.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeals for increased disability rating and service connection have been withdrawn by the appellant.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
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