The Veteran's appeal of the effective date for a separate award of left lower extremity numbness as secondary to lumbar spine disability was dismissed because it is not an issue that can be appealed.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not file a notice of disagreement with the June 2012 Board decision, which addressed the assignment of an earlier effective date for the separate award.
- Claimed conditions
- left lower extremity numbness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 13, 2015
- Citation
- 1547944
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1547944.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of October 10, 2007, for the award of service connection for numbness in both upper and lower extremities.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, right upper extremity numbness, left upper extremity numbness, right lower extremity numbness, left lower extremity numbness, erectile dysfunction, and toenail fungus.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted a 20% rating for the left ankle disability effective April 20, 2018. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings prior to April 20, 2018 and since that date are being remanded due to outstanding treatment records and inadequate retrospective opinions. Additionally, service connection for left lower extremity numbness and an acquired psychiatric disability is also being remanded.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for sinusitis and denied the claims for service connection for left knee disorder, right knee disorder, bilateral hearing loss, initial disability rating in excess of 10 percent for allergic rhinitis, low back disorder, left lower extremity numbness, right lower extremity numbness, left upper extremity numbness, right upper extremity numbness, and tension headaches.
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