The Board denied the Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than March 27, 2018 for service connection of various conditions. The Veteran was previously denied service connection due to dishonorable discharge from active duty.
The deciding factor: The Board found no legal basis to award an earlier effective date as the assigned effective date is the latest of the three dates considered (March 27, 2018; July 8, 2016; and November 29, 2017).
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, Right knee strain, Left knee strain, Right lower extremity shin splint, Left lower extremity shin splint, Obstructive sleep apnea, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20019137
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 A20019137.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of a right knee disability, finding that there was no nexus between his current condition and active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeals of the initial ratings for his service-connected chronic cough and bilateral hearing loss are remanded due to procedural errors in the evidentiary record.
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