The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of August 1, 1989 or November 1, 2011 for his service-connected dysthymic disorder.
The deciding factor: There was no formal claim, informal claim, or written intent to file a claim of entitlement to service connection for dysthymic disorder prior to August 15, 2023.
- Claimed conditions
- dysthymic disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25053109
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 service-connected dysthymic disorder, anxiety disorder, borderline intellectual functioning, and dyslexia have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an increased rating of 70 percent for dysthymic disorder and a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability, effective July 31, 2008.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected dysthymic disorder has been found to prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment, and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to correct a duty to assist error and obtain additional evidence.
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