The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of mood disorder not otherwise specified was denied. The Board found that the March 1968 decision denying service connection and the May 1968 rating decision denying reopening were final, as was the March 2008 remand which did not address whether the Veteran's claim should be reopened based on a new diagnosis of mood disorder.
The deciding factor: The effective date for service connection cannot be earlier than September 25, 2001 because there is no evidence of an unadjudicated claim for any acquired psychiatric disorder between the final March 1968 decisions and the September 25, 2001 informal claim.
- Claimed conditions
- mood disorder not otherwise specified
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 5, 2020
- Citation
- 20051986
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 20051986.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of October 10, 2008, for the award of a 100 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder and erectile dysfunction due to concerns about the sufficiency of the current evidence, particularly regarding the relationship between the Veteran's in-service personal assault and his current psychiatric conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an examination and opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders and their relationship to his service-connected TBI.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for his service-connected mood disorder not otherwise specified has been dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw all remaining issues on appeal.
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