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Whole decision: Denied

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for lumbar spine disability and denied reopening of his cervical spine claim. The cervical spine claim was also denied as secondary to service-connected lumbar spine degenerative arthritis.

The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish clear and unmistakable error in the April 1993 rating decision, nor were there new and material facts received for the cervical spine claim.

Claimed conditions
lumbar spine disability, cervical spine disability, heart disorder, diabetes mellitus
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
October 10, 2017
Citation
1744767

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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1744767.

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.

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