The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than March 7, 2014 for the grants of service connection for various conditions associated with his back disability have been denied. The Board found that there was no evidence in the claims file prior to March 7, 2014 warranting an earlier effective date.,The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 20 percent for spinal fusion with degenerative arthritis of the spine from March 7, 2014 to December 27, 2018 has been denied. The Board found that he did not meet the criteria for such a rating.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence is against finding that any of the conditions associated with the Veteran's back disability warrant an earlier effective date.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"Spinal Fusion with Degenerative Arthritis of the Spine"}, {"condition_name":"Left Lower Extremity Radiculopathy associated with spinal fusion with degenerative arthritis of the spine"}, {"condition_name":"Persistent Depressive Disorder associated with spinal fusion with degenerative arthritis of the spine"}
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 11, 2019
- Citation
- 19193058
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 19193058.
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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