The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a psychiatric disorder was denied as the earliest valid claim was filed on October 21, 2019.
The deciding factor: The earliest valid claim for service connection was filed on October 21, 2019, which is later than the April 19, 2019 date of the Veteran's supplemental claim. The effective date cannot be earlier than this date.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 23, 2020
- Citation
- A20017316
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 A20017316.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and SMC based on housebound status and aid and attendance, with the initial decisions being in February and June 2023. The appellant is eligible to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in September 2024.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection of psychiatric disorder. Service connection was granted for heart condition, throat condition, and hypertension due to herbicide exposure in Japan. Diabetes condition is denied as there is no evidence of treatment or diagnosis.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities were considered permanent and total in nature as of August 6, 2020, which is the earliest date on which she can establish basic eligibility for DEA under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, while his bilateral hearing loss and hypertensive vascular disease/hypertension are denied. The psychiatric disorder claim is remanded for further review.
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