The veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his left hip disability was denied, and the claim for an earlier effective date for total unemployability benefits was also denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of malunion or other impairment warranting a higher rating than 20 percent under Diagnostic Code 5255. For the earlier effective date claim, the Board noted that while the veteran claimed he was unemployable due to his respiratory disorder since at least 1987, the earliest correspondence mentioning this issue is dated August 12, 1996.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a higher rating than 20 percent for the left hip disability and there was no clear indication of unemployability prior to August 12, 1996.

Claimed conditions

{"condition_name":"Status-post nondisplaced left hip fracture"}

How they argued it

Direct service connection

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

20%

Decision date

July 24, 2006

Citation

0621938

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 0621938.