The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection, DEA benefits, and SMC based on housebound criteria, all assigned as of December 8, 2017.
The deciding factor: The statutory framework does not allow for an effective date prior to the date of receipt of a claim to reopen, which in this case was December 8, 2017.
- Claimed conditions
- unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 2, 2025
- Citation
- A25048416
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 Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for an unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder, finding that the Veteran's claim was not filed within one year of his separation from service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, as the March 2024 VA examination and opinion are incomplete and inconsistent with other contemporaneous evidence of record.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for several service-connected conditions, granted a 50% rating for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder, and granted an effective date of October 11, 2021, for the award of total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA).
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 50 percent rating for unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder, granted an initial 50 percent rating for right upper extremity neuropathy, denied a higher rating for obstructive sleep apnea, and denied entitlement to TDIU. The Board also remanded service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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