The Board denied the appellant's appeal for an earlier effective date for SMC based on loss of use of the right lower extremity, finding that the most persuasive evidence did not show that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities resulted in loss of use of his right lower extremity prior to May 25, 1998.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the medical evidence did not support a determination of loss of use of the right lower extremity before May 25, 1998.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Hip Arthritis, Right Hip Instability, Left Hip Degenerative Joint Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 10, 2022
- Citation
- 22007717
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 22007717.
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
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's right hip arthritis is service-connected as it began during his active service and has persisted since then.
- Partly granted
The Board granted restoration of the 20 percent rating for left hip degenerative joint disease and a 10 percent rating for right hip degenerative joint disease, effective October 12, 2022, but denied a higher rating for the left hip.
- Granted
The Court found that the Veteran's pre-existing right hip condition was aggravated by service and progressed to arthritis, leading to a grant of service connection for the right hip disability.
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