The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection, finding that his initial claims were abandoned due to failure to provide necessary information about his separation from active duty. The Board also found that he was not entitled to an earlier effective date for his right knee and skin disabilities as they occurred after he had already left active duty.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to respond within the required timeframe to VA's requests for information regarding his service records, resulting in the abandonment of his initial claims. As a result, the earliest possible effective dates are those associated with his subsequent claim filed on April 15, 2008, which was after he had already left active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of right knee patellar fracture, eczematous dermatitis, atopic and xerosis of the skin
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 4, 2018
- Citation
- 1800355
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 1800355.
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 Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance is granted, as he requires regular assistance with dressing, keeping himself clean and presentable, and attending to his bodily needs due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a skin condition, to include eczematous dermatitis, hand dermatitis, chronic spongiotic dermatitis, and psoriasis vulgaris, due to an inadequate VA medical examination and opinions.
- Partly granted
The Board revised the November 2007 rating decision to assign a 30 percent disability rating for migraine headaches due to CUE, but denied the motion to revise the same decision to assign a 10 percent disability rating for eczematous dermatitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues for additional evidentiary development, including a new VA examination and obtaining outstanding medical records.
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