The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 1, 2017 for the grant of service connection for social anxiety disorder is denied. The Board has also remanded his claims for service connection for a skin condition and for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for social anxiety disorder.
The deciding factor: The effective date assigned by the RO was May 1, 2017, which is after the Veteran's discharge from active service. The Board found that no earlier effective date could be granted as a matter of law.
- Claimed conditions
- social anxiety disorder, skin condition (irritant dermatitis, acrochordon)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 13, 2019
- Citation
- 19146384
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a psychiatric disorder to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for a psychiatric disability prior to August 5, 2023, and an evaluation in excess of 70 percent from that date. The Veteran's psychiatric disability was found to result in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was clear and unmistakable evidence that his pre-existing psychiatric disorders did not worsen during service. The Board also found no in-service incurrence of a psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including persistent depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder, as these conditions are found to have had their initial onset during military service.
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