The Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than January 20, 2012 for the grant of service connection for lumbar spine disability and for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and major depressive disorder) were both denied. The Board found that there was no evidence to support a finding of service connection for either condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims were not supported by sufficient evidence, including the absence of a diagnosed psychiatric disorder related to his in-service stressor and the lack of a diagnosis of PTSD based on the criteria set forth in DSM-5.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbosacral spine degenerative joint disease with degenerative disc disease, an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 7, 2020
- Citation
- 20023772
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 20023772.
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
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The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, as well as to consider new evidence. The Veteran's tinnitus is granted service connection, but his right and left knee disabilities are still pending due to lack of a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing and obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA psychologist or psychiatrist regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders.
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