The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a major depressive disorder with anxious distress was denied as the earliest record of reopening and submitting new evidence to reopen the claim was received on April 3, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the presumption of regularity applied to VA's mailing of the December 2009 notification letter and rating decision to the Veteran and his representative. There was no clear evidence to show VA failed to properly discharge its official duties in sending these documents.
- Claimed conditions
- Major depressive disorder with anxious distress
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 19, 2024
- Citation
- A24019963
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 A24019963.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's major depressive disorder with anxious distress is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, particularly PTSD. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions and related stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error where VA was aware of relevant private treatment records but did not notify the appellant or request a release for these records.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for major depressive disorder with anxious distress was granted effective October 29, 2019. He is currently receiving a 70% disability rating.
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