The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for a TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that the earliest date of entitlement was May 14, 1996.
The deciding factor: The appellant's claim for increased evaluations and a grant of a total disability rating for unemployability due to service-connected disabilities did not meet the criteria for an earlier effective date as there was no indication of intent or evidence of entitlement prior to May 14, 1996.
- Claimed conditions
- diabetes mellitus with retinopathy, pancreatitis with duodenal ulcer, hypertension, bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss, chronic renal failure, degenerative joint disease of C5-6, lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 80%
- Decision date
- July 5, 2002
- Citation
- 0207325
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 0207325.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for lumbosacral strain and lumbar radicopathy, right side, secondary to the lumbosacral strain.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for asthma but denied it for hypertension.
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