The Veteran's claim for service connection for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (claimed as PTSD) is denied, with the effective date set at July 26, 2016.
The deciding factor: The earliest effective date allowed under VA law and regulations for service connection was the date VA received his claim to reopen, which was July 26, 2016. There is no legal basis for assigning an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- Other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (claimed as PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2023
- Citation
- A23036589
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 A23036589.
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 Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 50% rating for PTSD is granted from January 6, 2020.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10% rating for tinnitus is granted from January 6, 2020. The Veteran had already been service connected for tinnitus at the maximum possible rating of 10 percent disabling prior to this decision.
- Denied
The Veteran's other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (claimed as PTSD) was initially rated at 30 percent prior to November 30, 2022. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of his psychiatric symptoms were no worse than a 30 percent rating, which corresponds to occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (claimed as PTSD) is denied. The earliest possible effective date is March 29, 2017.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) throughout the period on appeal, but his unemployability is due to his service-connected conditions and other factors. The case is remanded for referral to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.
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