The veteran's claim for a total rating on the basis of individual unemployability was granted by the RO in November 1999 with an effective date of February 2, 2000. The veteran appealed this decision and requested an earlier effective date. However, the Board found that the earliest possible effective date is November 26, 1997, when the veteran filed his claim for a total rating on the basis of individual unemployability.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not provide ascertainable evidence of an increase in disability prior to November 26, 1997, and therefore, the effective date cannot be earlier than that date.
- Claimed conditions
- left knee, right knee, right foot, right great toe, scar on left cheek
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 31, 2001
- Citation
- 0115103
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 0115103.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board denied the veteran's appeals for service connection due to untimely filings.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected left knee and right shoulder disabilities, along with compensation benefits awarded under 38 USC § 1151 for a right bicep detachment during shoulder surgery, prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment from December 22, 2011 to December 11, 2016.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for the veteran's left and right knee disabilities but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for left hip osteoarthritis and right hip osteoarthritis as secondary to the Veteran's now service-connected knee disabilities, but denied service connection for a variety of other conditions including bilateral ankle, shoulder, foot, mood disorder, tinnitus, hyperlipidemia, and knees.
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