The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of compensable evaluations for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine, finding that the earliest date that may be assigned as the effective date is September 20, 1996.
The deciding factor: The November 1971 RO rating decision denying service connection for a back disorder became final. The veteran's application to reopen his claim was received on September 20, 1996, and he was granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine with effective date of September 20, 1996.
- Claimed conditions
- degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- August 26, 2004
- Citation
- 0423652
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 0423652.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death and thus, the claim is denied.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a kidney disorder, an increased rating for residuals of a surgical scar, and an earlier effective date for compensable evaluations for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hernia, degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spines, residuals of a left knee injury, and residuals of a right foot injury. The reasons given were that there was no evidence of preexisting conditions or aggravation during active duty.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable evaluation for the veteran's service-connected varicocele, status-post varicocelectomy. However, it granted service connection for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar and cervical spine.
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