The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and initial ratings have been denied. The Board found that the criteria for an earlier effective date were not met, as the effective date assigned was the day following discharge from service. For other issues, no higher rating could be assigned based on current evidence.
The deciding factor: The effective date of an award is determined by when the claim was filed and whether it arose within one year of separation from service. The Veteran's claims were not timely filed to warrant earlier effective dates. For initial ratings, the criteria for a higher rating must more closely approximate the conditions described in Diagnostic Codes.
- Claimed conditions
- hemorrhoids, migraine headaches, left knee patellofemoral pain syndrome, right wrist sprain, sinusitis, left hallux valgus, ganglion cyst removal scar, hyperhidrosis, erectile dysfunction, dyshidrotic eczema, sprained ribs, right shoulder tendonitis, thoracolumbar strain, cervical strain, left foot metatarsalgia, painful neck scar, thyroid surgery scar, adjustment disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 27, 2019
- Citation
- 19166583
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 961 · Granted: 20% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19166583.
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.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction was denied as the evidence did not show that he had been diagnosed and manifested to at least a 10 percent disability rating on or prior to May 8, 2001.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to incomplete medical records and insufficient opinions regarding the relationship between service, including a stick injury in England, and current left eye disability (including amblyopia and cataracts) as well as migraine headaches.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
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