The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of sciatica, right due to a final denial in February 1973 and no new evidence submitted between then and July 31, 2009.
The deciding factor: The February 1973 rating decision denying service connection was not overturned by CUE, and the Veteran did not submit new evidence within one year of that decision to reopen his claim. The earliest effective date for service connection is therefore July 31, 2009.
- Claimed conditions
- sciatica, right
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- February 17, 2016
- Citation
- 1605965
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 1605965.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, varicose veins, left knee disability, right knee disability, low back disability, sciatica, left, and sciatica, right due to procedural issues.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's service-connected back condition renders him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation on an extraschedular basis, resulting in the grant of TDIU.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected back disability and sciatica.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
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