The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection and increased ratings, finding that no evidence supports an earlier date than April 1, 2024.
The deciding factor: The Board found that VA regulations require the claim to be received by VA or the date entitlement arose, whichever is later, and in this case, the claims were not transmitted until April 1, 2024.
- Claimed conditions
- coronary artery disease (CAD) with mild aortic insufficiency, mild left ventricular hypertrophy and moderate left atrial enlargement (heart condition), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), radiculopathy of the left upper extremity associated with spondylosis of the cervical spine, degenerative disc disease (DDD), arthritis of the cervical spine, radiculopathy of the right upper extremity associated with spondylosis of the cervical spine, DDD arthritis of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2025
- Citation
- A25104128
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 869 · Granted: 44% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25104128.
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
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The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
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- Remanded (sent back)
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