The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than March 25, 2014, and increased ratings for his left shoulder disorder were denied. His service connection claims for right knee, left knee, right foot, left foot, right ankle, right wrist, left wrist, bilateral hearing loss, and insomnia are pending.
The deciding factor: The effective dates for the Veteran's claims could not be earlier than March 25, 2014, as no prior claim was filed. The increased rating claim for his left shoulder disorder also cannot be granted before March 25, 2014, due to lack of evidence showing a worsening in symptoms within one year prior.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Left Ankle Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection for a left ankle disorder was granted effective March 25, 2014."}, {"condition_name":"Left Shoulder Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"A 20% rating for the left shoulder disorder was granted effective March 25, 2014. The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date is denied."}, {"condition_name":"Right Knee Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection for a right knee disorder has been reopened and the claim is pending."}, {"condition_name":"Left Knee Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection for a left knee disorder has been reopened and the claim is pending."}, {"condition_name":"Right Foot Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection for a right foot disorder has been reopened and the claim is pending."}, {"condition_name":"Left Foot Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection for a left foot disorder has been reopened and the claim is pending."}, {"condition_name":"Right Ankle Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a right ankle disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Right Wrist Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a right wrist disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Left Wrist Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a left wrist disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Bilateral Hearing Loss","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss."}, {"condition_name":"Right Knee Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a right knee disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Left Knee Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a left knee disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Right Foot Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a right foot disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Left Foot Disorder","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for a left foot disorder."}, {"condition_name":"Insomnia","condition_code":null,"condition_details":"Service connection was denied for insomnia."}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2019
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
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