The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of a shell fragment wound scar on his left buttock was denied. The RO granted service connection retroactively effective July 25, 2005, but did not consider whether he should have received this benefit in April 1971 when the VA initially considered and granted his claims for other shrapnel wounds.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim was denied because it involved a failure to timely file an appeal of the prior April 1971 rating decision, which did not address service connection for the left buttock shell fragment wound scar.
- Claimed conditions
- shell fragment wound scar
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- March 28, 2012
- Citation
- 1211143
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 1211143.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted a 10 percent rating for the Veteran's SFW scar of the left arm as of March 22, 2016. The appeal was denied prior to that date.
- Granted
The Veteran's shell fragment wound scar, claimed as a shell fragment wound, right lower extremity is related to his active military service. The appeal for an initial compensable rating for left ear hearing loss was withdrawn by the Veteran during the May 2012 Board hearing.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation, earlier effective date for a 10 percent evaluation, and TDIU are denied. The Veteran's claim for compensation at the 100 percent rate since discharge from service is also denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his shell fragment wound scar on the popliteal area of the right lower leg is being remanded due to inadequate examination and incomplete medical records.
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