The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability was dismissed as a matter of law. The Board found that the October 2019 rating decision did not constitute a final decision by the agency and thus, the appeal must be dismissed.
The deciding factor: The October 2019 rating decision deferred the Veteran’s claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and was not considered a final decision by the VA. As such, the filing of a notice of disagreement on this decision did not place the issue in appellate status.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as PTSD, depression, anxiety), Bilateral pes planus (flat foot), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 21, 2020
- Citation
- A20009088
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 A20009088.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for hypertension and has remanded the issue of an increased rating for skin condition.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's 10% rating for hypertension effective December 1, 2025 and denied a rating in excess of 10%. The reduction from 10% to noncompensable was not proper.
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