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Whole decision: Denied

The Veteran's claim for a headache disorder was denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of a chronic headache disability.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for depressive disorder with anxiety and anxiety is set at September 12, 2013, which is when the Veteran filed an informal claim.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for dermatitis is set at October 7, 2013, based on a telephone call from the Veteran to VA requesting service connection for his skin rash and other disabilities.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for a scar due to back surgery is set at July 8, 2014, which is when the Veteran underwent the surgery resulting in the scar.,The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation greater than 10 percent for his service-connected dermatitis was denied as it does not meet the criteria for such a rating under the applicable VA regulations.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities is granted.

The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of a chronic headache disability, and his headaches were attributed to other conditions. The Board gave more weight to the competent medical evidence in determining that he does not meet the criteria for service connection.,The effective date was set at September 12, 2013, as this is when the Veteran filed an informal claim for service connection for depressive disorder with anxiety and anxiety.,The effective date was set at October 7, 2013, based on a telephone call from the Veteran to VA requesting service connection for his skin rash and other disabilities.,The effective date was set at July 8, 2014, as this is when the Veteran underwent surgery resulting in a scar. The claim was not filed prior to this date.,The Veteran's dermatitis does not meet the criteria for an initial evaluation greater than 10 percent under the applicable VA regulations.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for TDIU.

Claimed conditions
headache disorder, depressive disorder with anxiety, dermatitis, scar due to back surgery
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 19, 2021
Citation
21003056

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21003056.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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