Blubaugh v. McDonald

HUGHES, Circuit Judge.

Daniel C. Blubaugh was awarded a disability rating for post-traumatic stress disorder effective July 25, 2008. He now seeks an earlier effective date for that rating. The effective date for a disability rating is generally determined by the date the disabling condition arose, or the date the claim was submitted, whichever is later. A regulation provides an exception to that rule when a claim is granted based on certain service department records that were associated with the veteran’s claims file after the claim was first decided. That regulation does not apply to Mr.…