The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for the assignment of a 20 percent rating for service-connected lumbar strain with DJD is denied.,Service connection for high cholesterol, headaches, and high blood pressure is not warranted as there is insufficient evidence linking these conditions to active duty or reserve service.
The deciding factor: The effective date claim was dismissed because the Veteran did not timely challenge the assigned rating of 20 percent for his lumbar strain with DJD. The claims for high cholesterol, headaches, and high blood pressure were denied due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to active duty or reserve service.
- Claimed conditions
- lumbar strain with DJD, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, headaches, obstructive sleep apnea
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 10, 2018
- Citation
- 1801834
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 1801834.
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.
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The Veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection for bilateral pes planus, obstructive sleep apnea, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and increased ratings for left shoulder rotator cuff tear, right shoulder rotator cuff tear, hypertension, and left and right leg restless leg syndrome. The Board denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches with an initial rating of 50 percent effective from August 10, 2022, and denied the claims for service connection for a right knee disability, obstructive sleep apnea, kidney disability, low back disability, and erectile dysfunction.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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