The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various service-connected disabilities were denied as the effective dates cannot be earlier than May 4, 2012.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was no evidence of a factually ascertainable increase in disability within one year prior to the date of claim (May 4, 2012).
- Claimed conditions
- low back, left ankle, right ankle, left wrist, right wrist, right elbow, left hip, right hip, right knee, bilateral claw foot
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20007211
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,820 · Granted: 26% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 20007211.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted an effective date of December 10, 2015 for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA). The decision also grants earlier effective dates for these benefits.
- Granted
The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective April 8, 2020. The Board found that VA failed to properly notify the Veteran of his intent to file a claim and thus the earlier date is valid.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal regarding the April 1, 2020 rating decision was dismissed because he did not timely file a VA Form 10182 and good cause has not been shown to extend the filing deadline.
- Denied
The Veteran's service connection claims for left ankle, right ankle, right hand, and left hand conditions are denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left hip condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for left wrist condition is denied.,The Veteran's service connection claim for right wrist condition is denied.
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