The Veteran's claim for an evaluation higher than 30 percent for service-connected insomnia prior to August 20, 2012 has been dismissed as the earlier effective date for major depressive disorder (MDD) with insomnia rendered the issue moot.,The combined disability rating from August 9, 2017 is denied as it does not exceed 80 percent.,The combined disability rating from April 11, 2018 is denied as it does not exceed 90 percent.,The combined disability rating from June 14, 2019 and August 1, 2020 is denied as it does not exceed 100 percent.,The initial evaluation for service-connected right shoulder strain with arthritis after October 1, 2018 remains unchanged.
The deciding factor: The earlier effective date for major depressive disorder (MDD) with insomnia rendered the claim for an evaluation higher than 30 percent for service-connected insomnia prior to August 20, 2012 moot.
- Claimed conditions
- insomnia, major depressive disorder (MDD), right shoulder strain with arthritis, left shoulder strain status post debridement with arthritis, bilateral knee replacements
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2020
- Citation
- 20049934
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 20049934.
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A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot.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 Veteran's claim for service connection of insomnia was denied, and the effective date is set to the date of receipt of the claim (May 31, 2024).
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia and alcohol use disorder caused his sleep apnea.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding the claims of entitlement to a compensable disability evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, service connection for anterior uveitis, right eye, and service connection for restless leg syndrome, RLE. The claim for service connection for insomnia is dismissed as moot because it was granted with an effective date based on the date of the Veteran's application.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, unspecified psychosis, arthritis of the lumbar spine, degenerative disc disease, multilevel spinal stenosis, and arthritis of the cervical spine and degenerative disc disease. The diagnoses are linked to in-service physical assaults.
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