The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of a low back disorder and also denied his claim regarding the propriety of the initial rating assigned for loss of motion of the lumbar spine due to post-surgical changes and degenerative disc disease.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no basis for assignment of an effective date earlier than January 6, 1999, for the award of service connection for a low back disorder. The claim for higher initial evaluation remains viable on appeal as the rating had been increased from 10 percent to 40 percent during the pendency of the appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Low Back Disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- December 5, 2001
- Citation
- 0127002
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 0127002.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction, service connection for a low back disorder, and earlier effective dates for TDIU, DEA eligibility, and SMC at the housebound rate.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right hand tremors as a manifestation of tardive dyskinesia and carotidynia due to enlarged lymph nodes, while denying service connection for other conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis, gastric ulcer, submandibular scar, bone spurs of the feet, low back disorder, plantar fasciitis, enlarged right testicle, and cyst on the back.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, an earlier effective date for service connection for PTSD, and service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a low back disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board denied increased ratings for PTSD and denied service connection for various disorders, while granting a 50% rating from June 5, 2017.
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