The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10% disability rating for chronic sprain and strain of the lumbar spine with facet arthropathy of L4-L5 was denied as it is not legally possible to grant such an earlier effective date due to the finality of prior decisions. The effective date granted by the RO was September 30, 2002.
The deciding factor: The claim for an earlier effective date must be denied because the most recent decision that assigned a disability rating (June 2002) is final and cannot be reopened without new evidence or a change in law. The Veteran's appeal of this decision was untimely, so no effective date prior to September 30, 2002 can be granted.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic sprain and strain of the lumbar spine, facet arthropathy of L4-L5
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- November 6, 2013
- Citation
- 1336082
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 1336082.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
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- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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