The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to October 31, 2017 for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia and alcohol/cannabis use disorder was denied. The Board found that there is no legal basis by which an earlier effective date can be assigned.
The deciding factor: The decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability.
- Claimed conditions
- schizophrenia, alcohol/cannabis use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006887
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 claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed alternatively as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, due to an inadequate VA examiner's opinion and a failure to fulfill the duty to assist in obtaining relevant medical records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychological condition, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, due to inadequate medical examinations and opinions.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 28, 1991, for the award of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
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