The Board denied the appellant's request for an extension of time to file a VA Form 20-0996, Request for Higher-Level Review (HLR) of a January 29, 2024, rating decision that granted service connection for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with a 30 percent disability rating effective September 27, 2023. The Board found no good cause to extend the time limit to file the HLR request.
The deciding factor: The appellant did not provide sufficient evidence of good cause for filing the HLR request after the one-year period from the date of the January 29, 2024, rating decision.
- Claimed conditions
- other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (claimed as PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2026
- Citation
- A26026695
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A26026695.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals for extensions of time to file Board Appeal requests were denied, and the attempted appeals are therefore dismissed.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case for a new examination to address the severity of the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, as the previous examination was found inadequate.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has decided to remand for a new VA examination to assess the severity of his condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates are being remanded due to a new service department record that was not considered by the agency of original jurisdiction.
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