The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than April 10, 2018 for the grant of service connection for various conditions have been denied.,Effective dates cannot be established before the date of separation from active duty or the date entitlement arose if within one year.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims are not supported by evidence showing a diagnosis or entitlement to service connection prior to April 10, 2018.
- Claimed conditions
- cervical radiculopathy with right upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, cervical spine spondylosis with degenerative arthritis, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, right shoulder degenerative arthritis, lumbar spine IVDS, right thumb trigger finger, left hip degenerative labral tear (extension), left hip degenerative labral tear (flexion), bilateral dry eye syndrome, GERD, left upper extremity carpal tunnel syndrome, left lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy, right tibia and/or fibula stress fracture with shin splint, left shin splint
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 18, 2021
- Citation
- 21063905
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 21063905.
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's service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, along with alcohol use disorder, has been granted a 100% evaluation effective from April 8, 2021. The disability causes total occupational and social impairment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate VA opinion and a need for further examination.
- Granted
The Board has restored the 10 percent disability rating for an adjustment disorder and the 20 percent disability rating for a back condition, effective June 1, 2025. The Veteran's claims of increased ratings are remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for GERD is granted, and the appeal to restore a 40% rating for lumbosacral strain with degenerative arthritis, degenerative disc other than IVDS, central canal stenosis, and scoliosis prior to June 1, 2024 is dismissed.
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