The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 4, 2008 for service connection of residuals of a T9 compression fracture and dorsal spondylosis is denied. The appeal for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for T9 compression fracture and dorsal spondylosis must be denied.
The deciding factor: The March 1999 rating decision denying service connection for a dorsal spine disability became final, and the Veteran's claim was not reopened until February 4, 2008. The effective date is therefore set to the date of receipt of the claim, which is February 4, 2008.
- Claimed conditions
- residuals of a T9 compression fracture, dorsal spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 11, 2018
- Citation
- 18141653
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 18141653.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's dorsal spine disability is related to his military service, and the Board grants service connection for residuals of a T9 compression fracture and dorsal spondylosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a dorsal spine disability, including as secondary to service-connected disabilities of the lower extremities, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and clarification of opinions from VA examiners.
- 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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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