The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with depressive features was denied in September 2009, and the effective date of this award is set at November 29, 2010. The Board found that an earlier effective date cannot be granted as there were no claims filed between the final denial in September 2009 and the Veteran's new claim in November 2010.
The deciding factor: The effective date for service connection can only be set at the date of a valid claim, which was not filed until November 29, 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with depressive features
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20001468
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 remands the matters for an addendum opinion to address the severity of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with depressive features and TBI, including the claimed physical manifestations of balance/dizziness problems and erectile dysfunction.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for sarcoidosis as new and relevant evidence has been received since the previous denial.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a left-hand condition is dismissed as the Veteran was granted service connection for mononeuropathy to the left hand fourth finger with parasthesia of skin in an October 2025 rating decision.
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