The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for major depression with PTSD as secondary to pseudofolliculitis barbae, finding that the claim arose on September 15, 2003 and the appropriate effective date is July 14, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Board found that entitlement to secondary service connection for major depression with PTSD could not arise prior to the award of service connection for pseudofolliculitis barbae, which was established on September 15, 2003. The July 14, 2014 effective date assigned by the RO is later than the date that entitlement arose.
- Claimed conditions
- Major Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19166109
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 19166109.
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
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- Granted
The Board granted an initial evaluation of 70 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depression.
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