The Board denied entitlement to an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for PTSD, finding that the earliest allowed effective date is September 10, 1997.
The deciding factor: The June 1996 notification letter was not a notification letter requesting additional evidence to complete the June 1996 application as it pertained to the specific disabilities, and the Veteran did not provide information regarding seeking service connection for PTSD until September 1997.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2025
- Citation
- 25008960
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for degenerative joint disease of the right hip, left hip, and left shoulder, as well as PTSD. The claim for a higher rating for the right knee scar was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to inadequate medical opinions and a Stegall violation.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD warranted a 70 percent rating from September 1, 2021, to February 3, 2022, due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for insomnia, PTSD, and depression due to a need for additional development.
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